Massachusetts Voters Back Psychedelics Ballot Measure in August Poll

The Psychedelics Question Leads in Early Polling

Question 4 would authorize licensed facilities to administer psilocybin and other plant-based psychedelics under clinical supervision, with a 15 percent excise tax funding mental health programs. The UMass Poll surveyed 1,200 likely voters between August 15 and August 22, using a stratified random sample weighted to match 2024 general-election turnout. Margin of error: plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Support is strongest among voters aged 18 to 34, at 68 percent, and Democrats, at 61 percent. Independent voters split 52 percent in favor, 40 percent opposed. Republicans oppose the measure 58 percent to 34 percent, according to crosstabs released by the university's Center for Public Opinion.

The ballot language mirrors Oregon's Measure 109, which passed in 2020 and launched the nation's first regulated psilocybin program in 2023. If approved, Massachusetts would become the third state to legalize therapeutic psychedelics after Oregon and Colorado, where voters approved a similar framework in 2022.

Cannabis Retail Expansion Also Polls Above 50 Percent

A second cannabis-related question, Question 2, would lift the state cap on retail licenses and allow municipalities to approve additional dispensaries through local ballot measures. The poll found 51 percent support for the proposal, 41 percent opposition, and 8 percent undecided. Massachusetts currently limits the state to 300 adult-use retail licenses under a 2016 statute. That cap was reached in March 2025.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission hasn't taken a public position on Question 2. The agency declined to comment on pending ballot measures when contacted by CannIntel in July. Industry groups including the Commonwealth Dispensary Association have endorsed the measure, citing unmet demand in suburban and rural counties where no licenses remain available.

Opponents tell a different story. The Coalition for Safe Communities Massachusetts argues that removing the cap would oversaturate the market and increase youth access. The coalition's campaign has raised $1.2 million through July, according to filings with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Polling History and Ballot-Measure Track Record

Massachusetts voters have approved every cannabis-related ballot measure since 2008, when they decriminalized possession by a 65-35 margin. Medical cannabis passed in 2012 with 63 percent support. Adult-use legalization passed in 2016 with 53.7 percent, narrowly outperforming final polls that showed the race within the margin of error.

The UMass Poll has conducted pre-election surveys on statewide ballot questions since 2014. Its final 2016 poll on adult-use legalization showed 49 percent support, 46 percent opposition — underestimating the yes vote by 4.7 points. Pollster Tatishe Nteta, who directs the Center for Public Opinion, attributed the miss to late-deciding independent voters breaking toward legalization in the final week.

For full background on this story, see the CannIntel topic hub on Massachusetts Cannabis Ballot Measures.

What to Watch Before November

The psychedelics measure faces organized opposition from medical and law-enforcement groups, while cannabis advocates are watching turnout models in suburban swing districts. The Massachusetts Medical Society and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association announced a joint campaign against Question 4 in June, raising $890,000 through July. Their advertising buy is scheduled to begin after Labor Day, according to media-tracking data from AdImpact.

Voter turnout will be the key variable. Presidential-year elections in Massachusetts typically draw 72 to 75 percent of registered voters, compared to 48 to 52 percent in midterms. Ballot measures perform better in high-turnout cycles, historically gaining 3 to 5 percentage points from polling to final results when turnout exceeds 70 percent. Both questions will need to hold their August support levels through ten weeks of opposition advertising and news coverage. Then they pass in November.