The Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce formally endorses a NO vote on Question 8, “Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana,” in the November 3, 2026, Massachusetts election.
Our position reflects the Chamber’s commitment to local businesses, jobs, municipal revenue, and public accountability. Massachusetts has built a licensed adult-use cannabis market. Question 8 would end that market’s retail framework while leaving medical marijuana licenses separate. We believe the better course is to keep legal businesses subject to enforceable rules and continue improving those rules.
The impact is local
This is more than a statewide policy debate. Cannabis Control Commission data cited in materials provided to the Chamber identify four operating adult-use retail locations in Marlborough and nine active adult-use licenses across the Chamber’s six communities. Those licenses include retailers in Marlborough and Hudson, along with cultivation and manufacturing operations in Hudson.
These businesses make decisions about employees, leases, equipment, and contracts. Their work also involves other local employers, including construction firms, security providers, accountants, and professional services. Ending adult-use licensing would affect more than the storefronts themselves.
Marlborough would lose a source of local revenue
Marlborough received $348,417 in local adult-use cannabis excise revenue in fiscal year 2025, according to Massachusetts Department of Revenue figures cited in the municipal fact sheet provided to the Chamber. From fiscal years 2020 through 2025, those receipts totaled $1,784,603.
Question 8 would repeal the local adult-use excise authority when it takes effect on January 1, 2028. That would remove a revenue option Marlborough currently uses. At a time when communities must make difficult choices about local services, we do not support eliminating that option.
Regulation provides safeguards and accountability
Cannabis use carries risks, especially for young people, and impaired driving remains a serious concern. Those concerns demand effective oversight.
Licensed adult-use businesses must follow requirements for age verification, product testing, labeling, child-resistant packaging, inventory tracking, security, and inspections. Regulators can investigate violations and take action against licensees. A legal sale creates a record and an identifiable business that can be held accountable.
A NO vote preserves this framework. It also allows Massachusetts to strengthen consumer protections, enforcement, and public education as the state learns what works.
Our position as a business community
The Chamber represents businesses of many sizes and industries. We do not need to agree with every aspect of current cannabis policy to recognize the consequences of ending an established, regulated sector.
We support responsible commerce, predictable rules, local fiscal choice, and practical public safeguards. For those reasons, the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce urges voters to vote NO on Question 8 on November 3, 2026.
