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Voters in five states will see recreational marijuana legalization proposals on their ballots for the November midterm elections, giving the cannabis community a chance to gain new ground in the movement to free the plant.<\/p>\n
Activists in Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have successfully led campaigns to put an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on the ballot in their states, while lawmakers in Maryland have turned to the voters for guidance with a referendum to legalize recreational marijuana. As the November election nears, the campaigns for reform are busy rallying the voters for support. And with the number of states that have legalized recreational marijuana approaching half the country, each new jurisdiction brings the country one step closer to comprehensive reform.<\/p>\n
Brooke Butler, vice president of partnership at cannabis compliance tech company Simplifya, told Cannabis Now that in addition to giving voters a chance to weigh in on cannabis reform in their own states, the ballot measures in this year\u2019s election can help inform policy and spur progress in other jurisdictions and at the national level.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we head into midterms, we\u2019re going to see a number of cannabis ballot initiatives take center stage,\u201d Butler said. \u201cBallot initiatives are one of the truest forms of democracy in action and a great barometer of where America stands on key issues. When it comes to cannabis, historically, Americans have said yes in overwhelming numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Arkansas](\"https:\/\/cannabisnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ArkansasCapital.jpg\")
<\/a>In Arkansas, voters will see Issue 4<\/a>, a proposed initiative to amend the state\u2019s constitution, on their ballots. If passed, the measure from Responsible Growth Arkansas<\/a> would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of cannabis and permit licensed dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana. Taxes raised on sales on adult-use cannabis would be used to fund hospitals and healthcare research, law enforcement and drug courts, which focus on reducing repeat offenses and substance abuse among nonviolent offenders with substance misuse disorders.<\/p>\n Polling by Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College<\/a> released last month showed that Arkansas\u2019 legalization proposal was supported by 59% of likely voters, with just 29% opposed and 13% undecided. Brian Vicente, founding partner of the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente Sederberg, said that the legalization of recreational marijuana in Arkansas would be a significant victory for the cannabis reform community. But provisions of the measure that favor the state\u2019s existing medical marijuana industry have left segments of the movement unsatisfied with the legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cA win for legalization in Arkansas would be seen as a major win for legalization advocates due to the fact that the current Governor Asa Hutchinson is a rabid prohibitionist who served as a chief architect of the nation\u2019s Drug War when he was the head of the DEA,\u201d Vicente noted. \u201cHowever, this measure is the most controversial of the five ballot initiatives, since it provides a major benefit to the relatively small number of current medical marijuana business owners and only allows a very narrow path for new business entrants.\u201d<\/p>\n Voters in Maryland will decide on Question 4<\/a>, a referendum that would amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older beginning in July 2023. The measure also directs the state legislature to pass laws for the use, distribution, regulation and taxation of marijuana. Currently, marijuana is legal for medicinal use in Maryland under a 2013 law, while possession of 10 grams or less of cannabis was decriminalized in 2014. Question 4 is overwhelmingly supported by Maryland voters, with a poll from The Washington Post and the University of Maryland showing 73% in favor of the proposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n In July, California firm The Parent Company, home of Jay-Z\u2019s Monogram brand, announced that it would be entering Maryland\u2019s medical marijuana market through a partnership with Curio Wellness. TPCO CEO Troy Datcher said that if Question 4 succeeds, the company will be well-positioned to grow with the state\u2019s newly legal market for adult-use cannabis. As might be expected, Datcher told Cannabis Now in an email that \u201cTPCO is in favor of passage of Question 4.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis criminalization in Maryland has been a major public policy failure and has resulted in the disproportionate incarceration of communities of color,\u201d said Datcher. \u201cIt is critical that the state take a new direction, particularly as many of its neighboring states begin adopting adult-use programs. In addition, legalizing cannabis in Maryland would stimulate the state\u2019s economy and create tens of thousands of new jobs for locals.\u201d<\/p>\n Midterm election ballots in Missouri will include Amendment 3<\/a>, which would change the state constitution to legalize the possession, use, sale and delivery of marijuana for personal use and sets a 6% tax on commercial cannabis sales. The proposal, advanced by Legal Missouri 2022<\/a>, also includes provisions for the expungement of certain marijuana-related convictions. Polling on Amendment 3 is mixed, with a survey commissioned by the Missouri Scout<\/a> in early September finding only 43% of respondents in support of Amendment 3, compared to 47% against and 10% undecided. However, a SurveyUSA poll<\/a> conducted only days later found that 62% of voters were \u201ccertain to vote yes\u201d on Amendment 3. \u00a0<\/p>\n Mark Toigo, CEO of Organic Remedies Missouri (ORMO), said that his company supports the ballot measure, noting that polling has shown that a significant majority of the state\u2019s residents support legalizing adult-use cannabis. But the state legislature has failed to act in accordance with the will of the people. Noting that the initiative campaign collected more than 400,000 signatures from supporters, Toigo believes the whole state will benefit if the measure is approved.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the ballot question receives a majority vote it will transform the Missouri cannabis industry into one of the strongest in the country. With existing infrastructure, a well-trained workforce, and some of the best brands in cannabis already established in the Missouri Medical Marijuana program, Missouri will be positioned to no longer lose its tax revenue to states like Illinois and Oklahoma,\u201d Toigo explained in an email. \u201cLegal Mo 22 ensures sustained job creation, economic development and revenue flow to Missouri, while also righting the wrongs of cannabis\u2019 past prohibition and providing ample opportunities for those most harmed by the failed war on drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n Statutory Measure 2<\/a> in North Dakota would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and permit the home cultivation of up to three cannabis plants. Retail sales of marijuana would be permitted by the measure, although the initiative includes a cap of 18 dispensaries and seven production facilities. The measure also requires the state Department of Health and Human Services to enact regulations governing commercial cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and sales by October 1, 2023. Although statewide polling data is not available, a poll of southwestern North Dakota residents<\/a> in July found that only 39% supported the marijuana legalization initiative from New Approach North Dakota<\/a>, while 43% were opposed and 18% were indifferent. A similar effort in 2018 failed at the polls, with 59% voting against the measure and 41% in favor. But the campaign manager for both efforts, David Owen, believes this year might be different.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a viable campaign that has a good chance of success,\u201d he told the Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n Voters in neighboring South Dakota will also have the opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana in November. If they vote in favor of the measure, it wouldn\u2019t be the first time. A 2020 ballot measure to legalize adult-use cannabis passed with 54% of the vote, but a legal challenge supported by Gov. Kristi Noem led to the state Supreme Court invalidating the measure on procedural grounds. The vote on this year\u2019s proposal, Initiated Measure 27<\/a>, could be closer than two years ago, with the results uncertain as election day approaches. A South Dakota State University poll released on October 14 showed that 45% were in favor of the legalization bid and 47% against, with 8% undecided.<\/p>\n If Measure 27 prevails on election day, possession and use of cannabis and marijuana paraphernalia will be legalized. Adults 21 and older would be permitted to possess or distribute up to one ounce of marijuana. Those living in a jurisdiction without a licensed marijuana retailer would be allowed to grow up to three cannabis plants in a secure location. Attorney Vicente says legalization in the Dakotas could put additional pressure on lawmakers in Congress to finally achieve national marijuana reform.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite their small populations (both Dakotas have more cows than people), legalization votes in these states could move the needle in a profound way at the federal level,\u201d Vicente wrote in an email. \u201cUpon their states\u2019 voting to legalize, the four U.S. Senators representing the Dakotas would be faced with an important decision\u2014do they continue to vote to uphold federal prohibition and criminalize their own constituents, or do they join the growing number of voices in the Senate who are looking to legalize.\u201d<\/p>\n With just weeks to go before the midterm elections on November 8, pollsters and pundits are closely watching the marijuana legalization proposals in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota. Beyond their intended effect on each state\u2019s respective cannabis policy, the ballot measures could also affect other races on those ballots. Ellen Mellody, vice president at cannabis public relations firm Mattio Communications and a former spokesperson for the Obama-Biden campaigns, said that the marijuana legalization measures on the ballot this year are likely to spur turnout among prospective voters who support cannabis legalization efforts. Additionally, she noted that President Joseph Biden\u2019s recent announcement that he would pardon federal convictions for marijuana possession<\/a>, which she termed a \u201cbrilliant move\u201d that is \u201clikely to pay out dividends,\u201d could also boost turnout and encourage voters to support Democratic candidates and bolster efforts to legalize cannabis at the federal level.<\/p>\n \u201cThese ballot initiatives will absolutely swing results in certain states and districts, and the pollsters are finally catching on. At the federal level, it\u2019s unlikely the timing of Biden\u2019s announcement last week was an accident,\u201d Mellody wrote in an email to Cannabis Now. \u201cEven in red states Arkansas, Missouri and South Dakota, you\u2019re seeing numbers come in at over 50 percent. It\u2019s no wonder why more electeds at the federal level are hopping on the legalization bus. At a minimum, the results of these initiatives should solidify that the dam is breaking.\u201d<\/p>\n With polling showing that at least three of the cannabis policy reform measures on the ballot are likely to succeed, it\u2019s becoming clear that this year\u2019s election will make new strides in the efforts to end the prohibition of marijuana in the United States. A clean sweep similar to 2020, when voters in all five states deciding on cannabis legalization measures approved the efforts, would be a significant victory for the movement. Datcher of TPCO said that if cannabis policy reform measures post a strong showing next month, it would reenergize efforts to pass comprehensive national marijuana legalization.<\/p>\n \u201cIf all five measures pass, the number of states that have legalized adult-use cannabis will increase from 19 to 24, nearly half of the states in the country,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are thus getting increasingly close to a \u2018tipping point\u2019 where we will hopefully see meaningful movement at the federal level.\u201d<\/p>\n But even if all five states are added to the recreational marijuana fold, activists warn the progress won\u2019t necessarily be the end of story in those states. In addition to South Dakota\u2019s invalidation of the successful 2020 measure, the Mississippi Supreme Court also struck down a medical marijuana legalization initiative that passed the same year. And Paul Armentano, the deputy director National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, noted that several of this year\u2019s ballot measures faced opposition and efforts to keep them off the ballot. The tactic worked in Oklahoma, where voters will have to wait until 2024 to decide on State Question 820. In September, the state Supreme Court ruled that the recreational marijuana legalization measure would not appear on the November ballot, despite the campaign\u2019s adherence to the state\u2019s regulatory guidance and deadlines.<\/p>\n \u201cWith public support for marijuana policy reform reaching super-majority status in recent years, prohibitionists and other political opponents have largely abandoned efforts to try and influence public opinion,\u201d Armentano said in a statement<\/a> from the agency. \u201cRather, they are now relying on anti-democratic gamesmanship to prevent voters from weighing in on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n On November 9, the day after this year\u2019s midterm elections, the cannabis community is sure to have new wins to celebrate. But the parties should be tempered with a realization that the job is not yet done. More than half the states in the nation will still have bans on adult-use cannabis, and prohibitionists will regroup to stand their ground, dwindling as it is. To maintain progress once the ballots are counted, the cannabis community must celebrate the victories, assess the failures and stay vigilant for the fight ahead.<\/p>\n The post Five States to Vote on Cannabis Legalization Measures<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Voters in five states will see recreational marijuana legalization proposals on their ballots for the November midterm elections, giving the cannabis community a chance to gain new ground in the movement to free the plant. Activists in Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have successfully led campaigns to putContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":57675,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16566,159,1008,16567,50,94,16568,65,16569,443,6365,6350,1576,596,14186,81,356,1577,16570],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57674"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57676,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57674\/revisions\/57676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Maryland<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>Missouri<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>North Dakota<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>South Dakota<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a>How Will Legalization Efforts Fare in 2022?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nRead More: Five States to Vote on Cannabis Legalization Measures<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"