Cannabis businesses sue to block Mass. anti

Key Points:

• Four cannabis business owners involved in Massachusetts' social equity programs filed a lawsuit to block a November ballot initiative aiming to repeal recreational marijuana legalization, arguing it would unconstitutionally dismantle state programs supporting their businesses.
• The lawsuit targets Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Secretary of State William Galvin, alleging Campbell improperly certified the petition and Galvin would breach his duties by advancing it, while both officials declined to comment.
• The ballot initiative, backed by the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts and funded by the national anti-cannabis group Smart Approaches to Marijuana Inc., seeks to end recreational sales but maintain medical marijuana legality.
• Plaintiffs argue the repeal measure is overly broad, combining unrelated provisions that would eliminate social equity programs and disrupt the medical marijuana industry, and claim voters are not properly informed of its full impacts in official summaries.
• Business owners warn the repeal would devastate hundreds of taxpaying cannabis businesses, lead to significant job losses amid an affordability crisis, and potentially boost unregulated black-market sales.