 With public support for cannabis legalization growing to include the vast majority of voters, opponents and prohibitionists have mostly left behind efforts to try to change the public’s mind, and instead have resorted to relying on exploiting loopholes and using tricks to get their way.
In the last election, cannabis opponents in a few states were able to use litigation to reverse what the majority of residents clearly voted in favor of. In in Mississippi, prohibitionists nullified the choice of 73% of voters. And in South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem was able to get the courts there to overturn the will of 54 percent of voters. In Nebraska, the opposition was able to get the state Supreme Court to strike down a proposed medical cannabis measure, despite 77% of Nebraskans backing it, and the Secretary of State’s office certifying it. Florida’s Republican attorney general successfully blocked a proposed 2022 legalization initiative from appearing on the ballot, despite wide voter support in the state. This year, cannabis opponents are using the same tricks. In Arkansas, polls earlier this year showed that the vast majority of voters there support legalization, but despite this, opponents have asked judges to “protect the interests and rights of [the minority of] Arkansans who oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana.” A legalization measure will appear on the ballot this fall, but because of litigation from the anti-cannabis groups, the state Supreme Court will be the ones to ultimately decide if the votes are counted or not. In Missouri, representatives of a leading prohibitionist organization have joined legal efforts to try and disqualify a citizens’ initiative legalizing marijuana. Opponents contend that election officials may have miscounted, which they based solely on initial media speculation. A statewide survey from earlier this month, though, does show that 62% of registered voters back legalization. And lastly, in Oklahoma, some election officials created numerous delays which prevented a voter backed initiative on legalization from making it possible to get on the ballot in time for printing . Ultimately their contrived legal filings and objections resulted in the cannabis legalization measure missing the print deadline for voter forms, and therefore, delaying a vote until the next available election. What we should have, in a democracy, is the will of the people represented by elected leaders. The majority should rule. But these state issues show that the opposition would rather take voters out of the equation altogether, and use legal tricks and loopholes to get their way, despite it not being what the majority of voters want. Comments are closed.
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