 Cannabis advocates have been working on legalization issues all across the country. And as a result, this fall many people will have the opportunity to vote for cannabis issues in their jurisdictions. ARKANSAS: The Arkansas Supreme Court has just confirmed that a recreational cannabis amendment will be on ballots for the November election, however it is still conditional. The group behind the campaign, Responsible Growth Arkansas, turned in far more than the 89,151 required valid signatures to the Secretary of State's Office and was approved. But the State Board of Election Commissioners rejected their initiative, arguing that the ammendment’s title did not properly include limitations on THC. Responsible Growth Arkansas then petitioned the state’s supreme court, who have agreed to consider their request. One of their attorney’s, Steve Lancaster, said, "What that means is that we're going to be on the ballot…You'll be able to cast a vote … But what's going to happen in the interim is the Supreme Court will make its decision, and if they agree with us that our ballot title is good, then the votes will count. Otherwise, if the court decides that our ballot title is not sufficient, they'll just never count those votes." He added, "I'm confident that once the court looks at this, they're going to agree with us that our ballot title is fine.” CALIFORNIA: California is, of course, the largest cannabis market in the country, with legalized medicinal and recreational use. However, the vast majority of municipalities in the state have opted out of allowing cannabis businesses, a fact that has caused a lot of problems for cannabis access and distribution in the state. This fall, there are at least 28 California cities and counties with cannabis initiatives on November’s ballot. Most of these municipality referendums are to have voters choose if they want to now allow cannabis businesses within their jurisdictions. If all locations are passed, there could be as many as 250 new retail licenses added to the state. This is significant, and badly needed,because at this time there are currently only around 900 retail locations in the entire state of close to 40 million people! MARYLAND: Maryland legalized medical marijuana in 2012 and has had their program operational since 2014. This fall, voters there will have an opportunity to vote on adult use recreational cannabis legalization on their ballot. MISSOURI: Missouri’s secretary of state certified that activists turned in more than enough signatures to qualify a marijuana legalization initiative for the November ballot, but now a lawsuit filed by a staff member of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, claims that the petition did not collect enough valid signatures in one of the congressional districts needed to secure ballot placement, and doesn’t follow the Constitution’s single-subject rule for ballot measures. There are also some cannabis supporters in the state who oppose this petition, based on concerns of monopolies in the industry, limiting the number of licenses, possession limits, and more. Missouri does already have medical marijuana, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to vote on recreational use this fall. NORTH & SOUTH DAKOTA: Both North Dakota and South Dakota voters will have the chance to decide on cannabis legalization issues in November. North Dakota voters legalized medical marijuana in 2016. This fall they are confirmed to vote on legalizing adult use recreational cannabis, as well. South Dakota residents voted to legalize adult use recreational cannabis in 2020, but their Governor, Kristi Noem, intervened due to her own issues against cannabis. She used a loophole which caused the courts to overturn the voters wishes. This year, South Dakota residents will be able to vote on it again. To avoid another invalidation, the group who led the initiative is allowing the legislature to make decisions regarding cannabis taxes and regulations. OHIO: Ohio legalized medical marijuana in 2016, but they do not have legalized recreational adult use, yet. This November, several Ohio cities will vote on local cannabis decriminalization measures in 2022. If passed, decriminalized cities would eliminate penalties for possessing misdemeanor amounts of cannabis. OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma currently has one of the most popular medical marijuana programs in the country, with 10 percent of the state’s population holding a valid prescription. But despite overwhelming support, residents are still waiting on legalized recreational adult use. State officials announced that the group Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws did collect sufficient signatures, and they turned them in more than a month early to ensure enough time for the verification process. However, in what could be a sneaky political move by opponents, the certification process has taken much longer than it should have. Republican lawmakers in Oklahoma who are opposed to cannabis introduced bills to make the initiative petition process more difficult, including a new law approved in 2020 that provides more scrutiny in verifying voter signatures. Cannabis advocacy groups wrote in a document to the state court that, “…they have been stymied by state officials (or their hand-picked vendors) who are either unable or unwilling to perform their administrative duties in a timely and efficient manner.” The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office has typically handled counting signatures in house, but this year, with claims of alleged voter fraud concerns, some state officials created a contract with a political polling firm to help verify the voter registration status of signatories. As a result, the signature-counting process took so long that it extended past the printing deadline for issues to be on the November ballot. The advocacy group petitioned the state Supreme Court, and they have agreed to consider it. But at this time, the measure is still in limbo with new lawsuits filed on both sides this week, and everything is up in the air and at the mercy of the court’s decisions. It’s one of a few of these states that we will have to continue to watch and wait to see what transpires. NEBRASKA: While other states seek recreational cannabis legalization, Nebraska still fights for medical marijuana. The group Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) submitted signatures supporting two medical cannabis measures for this fall, but sadly, neither initiative will be on the 2022 ballot due a shortage of signatures. During the campaign, the advocacy group faced major issues with funding and a court battle that stymied their progress. However, their campaign manager plans to regroup and plan on getting the issue on Nebraska’s 2024 ballot. TEXAS: Texans have access to an extremely limited medical marijuana program. But with levels of THC capped at 1%, the very limited number of people who can even qualify don’t have access to much. The state heavily regulates against cananbis, and their current penalties for posession are harsh. This November, though, five cities: Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen, and San Marcos, will each have the opportunity to vote on decriminalizing cananbis within their jurisdictions. The deciminalization measures amend local laws so that police can no longer issue citations or make arrests for misdemeanor possession, nor can they issue tickets for paraphanalia in lieu of possession tickets. In May, voters in Austin overwhelmingly approved a similar municipal measure. These types of city votes are necessary, as Texas law does not allow for statewide citizen initiated petition measures. Current Texan polling shows that 67 percent of Texans, including majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, support legalizing the sale and use of cannabis. WISCONSIN: Currently, medical and recreational use of cannabis is illegal in Wisconsin. Also, like Texas, Wisconsin does not have a statewide citizen petition initiative method for ballot proposals, so Wisconsin residents must wait for state legislatures to take action. This fall, so the lawmakers can gage how residents feel about cannabis legalization potential, voters in at least half a dozen Wisconson cities and counties will be asked on November’s ballot how they feel support legalizing, taxing and regulating cannabis in a manner similar to alcohol. WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia legalized medical marijuana in 2017. Activists there have been working to put local marijuana decriminalization initiatives, similar to the ones in Texas, on the November 2022 ballot. These initiatives would mean no fees, jail time, or court fees for simple possession of cannabis. This year, Wyoming activists collected signatures for a pair of ballot initiatives to decriminalize marijuana possession and legalize medical cannabis. However, it wasn’t enough to be added to the 2022 ballot. MORE INFO: Cannabis Legalization 2022: Who Will Be on the Ballot? | Elevate Holistics (elevate-holistics.com) Comments are closed.
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