Every election year, the Massachusetts state government sends out an official Voter Guide. This is supposed to be a balanced, non-biased document to help voters understand the important issues facing our state. But Governor Charlie Baker, tasked with drafting the "statement of fiscal consequences" for each ballot question, wrote a terribly biased statement about the economic impact of Question 4, which would legalize and regulate marijuana for adults over 21. This is wrong and must be corrected.

Governor Baker's statement misleadingly warns voters that "Tax revenues and fees that would be generated from legal sales may fall short of even covering the full public and social costs." However, the Senate report this is quoted from was authored by Senator Jason Lewis, one of the main opponents of Question 4. This low-quality report was even described by Lewis' own chief of staff as an "amateur economic effort" with "back-of-the-envelope-type calculations." More importantly, it's directly contradicted by the experiences of states like Colorado, where revenues are paying not just for marijuana regulation, but for school construction, drug abuse prevention programs, and more.

The fiscal statements of the other three questions do not contain such misleading hypotheticals from supporters or opponents. For example, the statement for Question 3 simply says, "Because the law would not take effect until January 1, 2022, the fiscal consequences of this proposed measure for state and municipal government finances are unknown."

Massachusetts voters rely on the Voter Guide to provide them with balanced information, not propaganda masquerading as fact. Please sign this petition to demand a correction from the Baker administration.