Question 8 Ad Puts Road Safety on the Ballot
The Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts makes its road-safety case for ending commercial pot sales in a single tight spot.
The Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts’ newest Question 8 ad wastes no words. It gives voters one line, one number and one ask.
“This isn’t about what adults do in their own homes,” the narrator says in the spot, titled “Drugged Driving.” “Forty-two percent of drivers in fatal crashes test positive for THC. Put the brakes on commercial sales. Vote yes on Question 8.”
The opening line takes on the opposition’s favorite talking point before it can land. Question 8 does not touch personal use. Under the measure, adults 21 and older could still possess up to an ounce, and medical marijuana stays legal. What it ends is the for-profit recreational storefront.
Where the 42 Percent Comes From
The figure comes from coroner records in Montgomery County, Ohio, which researchers presented at the American College of Surgeons’ 2025 Clinical Congress. Of 246 drivers killed in crashes and tested for THC, 103 were positive for active THC. That is 41.9 percent.
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Critics like to say THC lingers for weeks. The data cuts against that. The positive drivers averaged 30.7 ng/mL, far above the 2 to 5 ng/mL limits most states use.
“This isn’t about residual use; it’s about recent consumption,” said lead author Dr. Akpofure Ekeh of Wright State University.
Positivity stayed high on both sides of Ohio’s 2023 recreational law, at 42.1 percent before and 45.2 percent after. The Drug Report covered the findings when they first came out, alongside other grim road-safety data.
Federal data points the same way, including in Massachusetts. A 2022 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of 7,279 seriously or fatally injured road users found active THC was the most common drug detected. It showed up in 25.1 percent, ahead of alcohol at 23.1 percent. Worcester was one of seven study sites.
A Question 8 Ad Built for the Final Stretch
Campaign spokesperson Wendy Wakeman put the stakes plainly. “When 42 percent of drivers killed in accidents are testing positive for THC, this is no longer a private choice,” she said. “It is a public safety problem.”
The message has traveled well beyond Massachusetts. A Fox News segment last week put Question 8 in front of a national audience.
Opponents have spent the race warning about the illicit market. The coalition’s answer fits on a highway sign: put the brakes on commercial sales. Voters decide November 3.
The Drug Report is a publication of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions.
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