Thanks for making this progress possible!
Friend,
I’m excited to share some incredible wins for drug policy reform in elections across the country. We have a lot to celebrate thanks to voters like you!
Oregon voters stood on the side of justice by electing Governor Tina Kotek who is committed to the continued implementation of Measure 110, our historic victory in 2020 making Oregon the first state in the nation to decriminalize drugs and invest in a health approach. The outcome shows once again that voters want to move in a new direction and build a better world with drug policies based in health, equity, and human rights instead of punishment.
Maryland and Missouri passed initiatives to legalize marijuana so now a total of 21 states and D.C. have legalization laws. These victories prove voters strongly support marijuana legalization that includes equity and justice provisions. And it’s very encouraging to see this momentum grow even in more conservative places like Missouri.
Missouri’s passage of Amendment 3 legalizes marijuana and begins to repair the harms of prohibition by automatically expunging criminal records for people with marijuana-related offenses.
Maryland’s passage of Question 4 now sends the issue to the legislature to determine regulations. Advocates are working closely with them to ensure the law is implemented equitably, repairs harms, and reinvests into the communities that have suffered most harshly under prohibition.
We’re also thrilled to see incredible progress in Texas where local marijuana reform won big! Voters in the cities of Killen, Harker Heights, Denton, San Marcos, and Elgin passed initiatives to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana with strong support across the board.
Our political and advocacy arm, Drug Policy Action, was proud to support Ground Game Texas to achieve these wins in Texas! These local reforms are very significant in places like the South where people suffer under some of the harshest drug laws in the country and reform through the legislature can be very difficult. We thank voters in Texas for making this progress possible.
Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota also voted on marijuana legalization initiatives. Ultimately, they fell short of passing but garnered impressive support for places that have been historically behind on this issue. And voters in Colorado took steps toward reform on a different front by passing an initiative to legalize possession of certain psychedelics and create psilocybin “healing centers”.
We are grateful to supporters like you, voters, and allies for helping make all these victories a reality in this election. It's clear that voters continue to be ahead of many elected officials in our fight to end the drug war.
Please keep standing with us so we can build on our momentum to create the world we deserve that is free of drug war punishment and puts people first.
With gratitude,
Kassandra Frederique
Executive Director
Drug Policy Alliance
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