John,

Last night provided mixed results for cannabis policy reform.

Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a pair of ballot measures to legalize medical cannabis. Voters in Dallas (population 1.3 million people) and two other Texas cities decided in favor of municipal measures prohibiting local law enforcement from making low-level marijuana-related arrests. And in Kentucky, voters in 106 municipalities and counties were asked to approve or reject local measures to allow medical cannabis businesses to operate in those jurisdictions. Every single measure was approved.

In Florida, a statewide measure that sought to legalize adult-use marijuana possession and sales received more than 1.2 million more ‘yes’ votes than ‘no’ votes. However, because of unique rules in Florida, the constitutional amendment required support from 60 percent of voters and it did not meet that threshold. And in the Dakotas, legalization initiatives failed to gain majority support from voters this year.

While last night’s losses are disappointing, setbacks are inherent to political movements. But movements are defined by how advocates respond to them. There’s little doubt that legalizing marijuana remains among the few issues most Americans agree upon. In fact, in this election, we saw for the first time both major party Presidential candidates voicing support for amending federal marijuana laws. It is now up to advocates to ensure that the incoming administration follows through on this promise, and it is critical that we continue to lobby state lawmakers to adopt marijuana policies that align with the will of the majority of voters who want to see an end to cannabis criminalization.

It bears repeating that our marijuana momentum has been consistent and it is undeniable. Public support for legalization has risen 20 percentage points in the past decade and now sits at 68 percent nationwide. Nearly 180 million Americans reside in a jurisdiction where the possession, use, and sale of marijuana for adults is legally regulated. Medical cannabis is legally accessible in the majority of states in this country. No state has ever repealed its marijuana legalization laws and there’s no ‘buyer’s remorse’ among voters.

We may not win every battle, but we are winning the war. Waging our relentless fight for cannabis freedom takes time, effort, and funding. Now is the time to redouble our efforts and continue pushing forward. Please chip in a few bucks today and join together with Americans across the nation who are dedicated to ending the war on cannabis consumers. Together, we will prevail.