#22 | The Fight to Stop the Repeal with Massachusetts' Ryan Dominguez

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Ryan Dominguez of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition for a conversation about Question 8, the November ballot measure that would repeal adult-use cannabis legalization in Massachusetts.

Ten years after voters passed Question 4, Massachusetts has one of the most established cannabis markets in the country: hundreds of licensed businesses, tens of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to state programs and host communities. Question 8 would unwind it — and make Massachusetts the first state ever to dismantle a functioning, regulated adult-use market by popular vote.

Ryan joins The Hybrid to talk about his path from the State House to founding the Coalition, how the repeal effort qualified for the ballot while much of the industry was not paying attention, and what we know about the out-of-state organization and funding behind it. The conversation walks through exactly what Question 8 would do: what a yes vote and a no vote actually mean, the rollback of possession limits, the recriminalization of home grow, and why repeal would devastate the medical program along with the adult-use market it targets — roughly 80 percent of the market, and medical deserts for patients across the Commonwealth.

Shawn, Erik, and Ryan also dig into what is at stake: more than 20,000 jobs, roughly $300 million a year in tax revenue, a $30-million-a-year Social Equity Trust Fund, and the life savings of small business owners with no federal bankruptcy protections to fall back on.

From there, the conversation turns to the campaign itself: how Stop the Repeal is building a grassroots education effort in a low-turnout year, why communities that currently prohibit cannabis retail may decide the outcome, the danger of complacency among supporters of legalization, what businesses and listeners can do to help, and Ryan's message for undecided voters.

This episode is about Massachusetts, but it is also about every legal state: if repeal works here, it will not stay here.

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🔎 Topics: Massachusetts cannabis, Question 8, cannabis repeal, Stop the Repeal, Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, Ryan Dominguez, cannabis legalization, ballot question, adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis, possession limits, home grow, social equity, Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, cannabis jobs, cannabis tax revenue, host communities, voter education, cannabis policy, cannabis regulation, The Hybrid podcast