The ballot measure legalizing marijuana was approved by Massachusetts voters decisively, but not overwhelmingly.
The state was split, and it remained unclear until late hours exactly which way the majority of voters would ultimately go. But the latest results, about 54% "Yes" to 47% "No," answered that question.
The results, still not fully in as of press time, also pointed to a geographic split: The minority of townships in which majorities voted "No" on marijuana were in the suburbs surrounding Greater Boston's urban core — which itself voted, overall, "Yes."
That might not seem so unusual; but it means that the two biggest constituencies for marijuana were the state's most urban areas ... and it's least urban areas. Far more rural Western Massachusetts went overwhelmingly for marijuana legalization, with only the suburbs (again) of Springfield voting a majority against.
Those tendencies, at least in Greater Boston, also ran contrary to voters' own elected officials, or at least many of the most prominent ones.
Noting the apparent disconnect between voters and their elected, State Senate President Stan Rosenberg conceded on Tuesday night that "the voters have spoken," and that he looked forward to "swiftly implementing their will."
