And Massachusetts’ vote was even more meaningful when you consider that it changed the existing narrative of what kinds of U.S. states are legalizing retail cannabis, as National Cannabis Industry Association deputy director Taylor West points out.

“It isn’t a state that fits the category that many of the other legalization states have,” West said. “There’s been this trend toward western states that have a heavy focus on direct democracy, a strong libertarian streak and that has been where we’ve seen a lot of progress — but is also means that some people have, in some ways, pigeonholed the idea that these are the only states that are caring about doing something with adult-use legalization.

“Massachusetts really flies in the face of that. It’s a much more traditional state, it’s one of the original colonies, it is an East Coast state — it doesn’t have that same image as the western states do, and yet the voters there, in defiance of the establishment, very clearly chose a legalized, regulated path over prohibition.”

Read more: http://www.thecannabist.co/2016/11/10/massachusetts-marijuana-new-england/67324/