September 30, 2022 John,
This election is going to be HUGE.
Voters in five states – Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota – will decide this Election Day on statewide ballot measures to legalize the use of marijuana by adults. Currently, 19 states – comprising 44 percent of the US population – have legalized and regulated adult-use marijuana markets. If voters approve these measures, approximately half of all US residents will reside in a jurisdiction where the possession and use of cannabis are legal for adults.
Several of this year’s ballot measures faced protracted and baseless litigation from our opponents, who sought to have the measures removed from the ballot over perceived technicalities. Most of those efforts were unsuccessful; however, one such attempt succeeded in postponing voters’ opportunity to decide a similar ballot question in Oklahoma (thankfully, despite this delay, OK will still vote on legalization in 2023 or 2024).
While the challenges to Arkansas and Missouri were ultimately defeated, they did consume significant time and resources that would have otherwise gone to voter mobilization and persuasion. And we’re going, to be honest; we’re going to have to fight hard for every vote in all five states, some of which are the most conservative-leaning in the country. While it will be a real battle, passing legalization in states like South Dakota or Arkansas will have ripple effects and provide a massive momentum boost to our efforts nationwide.
CAN YOU CHIP IN TO HELP US BRING HOME THE WIN IN ALL FIVE STATES?
In addition to these statewide efforts, voters in dozens of cities will decide on municipal ballot questions this fall. For instance, voters in five Texas cities – Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen, and San Marcos – will decide on measures seeking to amend local laws curtailing police officers’ authority to “issue citations or make arrests for Class A or Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana offenses” absent a defendant’s alleged involvement in a “felony-level narcotics” case. Voters in several Ohio cities will also decide on municipal measures depenalizing activities involving marijuana possession.
VISIT NORML ELECTION CENTRAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BALLOT MEASURES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
These additional local efforts help create pressure from the ground up. We will reach out to voters in these localities to ensure they are registered to vote, know about the issues on the ballot and get out to the ballot boxes.
In Rhode Island, voters in 31 towns will decide on measures determining whether or not to allow licensed cannabis retailers in their localities. Voters in cities in several other states, including Colorado, Michigan, and Montana, will also decide on similar local ballot measures.
ARE YOU READY TO SMOKE THE VOTE? CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS
While we are optimistic about the success of these state and local cannabis measures, we aren’t taking anything for granted. We will fight hard until Election Day to bring cannabis freedom to millions more Americans.
IF YOU ARE READY TO PUT ANOTHER NAIL IN PROHIBITION’S COFFIN, JOIN US!
-NORML
