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Ten years ago, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize marijuana for adult use when voters approved ballot measures in 2012. Since then, 19 states and the District of Columbia has legalized the recreational drug.
Results on Tuesday night were more mixed. Legal marijuana won in Maryland and Missouri, bringing the total number of states where recreational use is allowed to 21. In Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota, however, voters rejected the measures.
Federal marijuana legalization has ended.
According to an April 2021 Pew Research Center survey, 91 percent of US adults favor some form of legalization of marijuana. Before Election Day, 43 percent of American adults lived in a jurisdiction that had legalized marijuana for adults over 21; Sales of adult and prescription drug products are expected to reach $25 billion by 2021 and, according to one Wall Street estimate, will reach $100 billion by 2030. And last month , President Joe Biden said he is working to reform America’s drug laws, starting with amnesty for anyone convicted of simple possession of marijuana at the applicable level.
Maryland was expected to pass the law. Four states that have legalized marijuana on the November 8 ballot are conservative: Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota. marijuana, though only Missouri does so.
“Four out of five states that vote have two Republican senators and or a majority of Republican congressmen in the House,” said BOWL PAC founder Justin Strekal, a longtime anti-drug activist. Washington, DC, and former political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), ahead of Tuesday’s results. “Voters who decide on drug use can change the equation for their members of the government and how they approach drugs at the national level.”
Here’s a quick overview of the measures and where they stand.
Maryland: Question 4 (Passed)
Earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers voted to put a legislative referendum on legalizing marijuana on the November ballot. Question 4 asks: “Do you favor the legalization of drug use by anyone 21 years of age or older on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?”
Voters approved the measure, legalizing recreational marijuana in Maryland, where medical marijuana has been legal since 2013, by changing state law. The law legalized the purchase and possession of 1.5 ounces of the drug for adults 21 and older, and eliminated criminal penalties for possession of up to 2.5 ounces. In addition, adults are allowed to grow both plants for personal use and to donate the drug legally.
Previous convictions for law enforcement under the proposed law would be dismissed, and people currently serving drug offenses would have the opportunity to plead guilty, while those convicted of drug offenses would who wish to share can request that their records be deleted for three years. after their working time.
Arkansas: Issue 4 (Failed)
Arkansas voters approved medical marijuana in 2016. Now that they’re considering legalizing the drug for adult use with Title 4, the government’s medical program has changed.
The Responsible Growth Arkansas campaign submitted more than 192,000 signatures in July to qualify for the November ballot. After the state Board of Elections tried to deny certification to the measure saying its wording was too small, the campaign filed a lawsuit in the Arkansas Supreme Court in August. After weeks of uncertainty, the court decided the Arkansas General Assembly on September 22, clearing the way for the election.
A September survey by Talk Business and Politics and Hendrix College found that 58.5 percent of Arkansas voters favor the ballot measure, 29 percent oppose it and 13 percent are undecided. However, a coalition of progressive drug advocates, religious leaders, and pro-Trump politicians — including Tom Cotton – Republican Arkansas Sen. Pro-cannabis critics say the measure, funded by the pharmaceutical industry, will allow existing pharmaceutical companies to dominate the adult-use market and reward the industry’s rivals by undermining in new competitions.
The proposed law would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana from licensed dealers. It has waived residency requirements to enroll in the state’s prescription drug program. Home cultivation is not allowed, and it has eliminated criminal investigations for people with less than 5 percent of the drug business.
The amendment would eliminate taxes on medical marijuana while allowing the state to pay a 10 percent sales tax on non-medical sales at dispensaries. Thirty percent of the tax revenue is split between legislation, university research, and federal drug court programs, with the rest going to the federal budget.
Missouri: Amendment 3 (Passed)
Missouri passed a law banning marijuana for personal use in 2014, and voters approved a dispensary program four years later. Now all the legislation is on the ballot in Missouri with Amendment 3 – but after months of little public opposition, right before Election Day right before Election Day from the group is a coalition of officials and organizations that have come together to persuade voters to reject the program.
However, in the end, it failed and voters approved the amendment.
The group Legal Missouri 2022, which is behind the constitutional change, says it was written to provide a “level bar” for the industry while promoting social justice, Marijuana Moment reported. The event was endorsed by advocacy organizations including the ACLU of Missouri and six Missouri NORML chapters.
Opposition to the measure contained false claims from the PAC that it was an attempt to introduce radical racial concepts into the constitution by creating a position of “justice officer,” the party said. Democrats in Missouri “are hurting minorities, people of color and low-income Missourians.
Amendment 3 makes it legal for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to three ounces of non-prescription marijuana. He can also register a home garden. Current medical offices are licensed to serve older clients and are dually licensed.
Tax revenues from recreational drug sales are used to expunge the records of people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses; it also helps with military health care, medical care, and government programs.
The Department of Health and Human Services administers the Act, and micro business licenses are issued through a lottery system. Priority for such licenses is given to low-income applicants and people who have been seriously injured in the war on drugs.
North Dakota: Measure 2 (Fail)
Marijuana legalization in North Dakota allows adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana and four grams of cannabis seeds, as well as cultivating up to three plants for personal use, if the result from them. plants are stored in one place. However, voters rejected the measure.
A group called New Approach ND collected signatures for Measure 2, which requires the government to create an administrative program by October 1, 2023. The agency will also handle drug business licensing. for a maximum of seven garden houses and 18 traders. The project said that no person or entity would be allowed to have more than one garden house or four trading places to reduce the risk of large companies control the drug market.
Measure 2 also follows Establish child custody protections for drug-using parents in accordance with state law, which means that drug use does not result in parental rights being lost. No way to write waivers for marijuana convictions is provided.
The state’s 5 percent sales tax applies to drug products; no additional tax will be charged. Manufacturers pay a registration fee of $110,000 every two years, and retailers pay $90,000; those funds will support the implementation and management of the senior use program.
South Dakota: Measure 27 (Fail)
South Dakota voters approved adult-use drug legalization in 2020; however, the state Supreme Court overruled the scheme. This year, voters once again had the opportunity to focus on legalization, but public opinion has changed on this issue, with the majority of respondents now opposing drug reform.
In 2020, 54 percent of South Dakotan voters approved the legalization of marijuana. However, following a legal challenge led by Governor Kristi Noem, the Supreme Court overturned the election on procedural grounds, and upheld the decision that found the measure violated The government’s single-purpose law for constitutional changes means it’s not very focused. enough to meet the voting standard.
So far, the project has eliminated provisions related to taxes and regulations; those decisions are made by the assembly. The advocacy group South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws submitted more than 20,000 signatures to put Measure 27 on the November ballot.
If approved by voters, Measure 27 would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana, and to grow up to three plants for personal use. . It did not affect legal policies on drug sales, licensing, or social justice.
The measure includes civil penalties for violating regulations related to public consumption or growing more than what is allowed. Employers can allowed to prohibit drug use by employees, and states and local governments could prohibit marijuana-related activities authorized under the program.
Update, November 9, 9:40 am: This story was originally published on November 7 and has been updated with the results of the elections in each state.
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