All five states with marijuana ballot measures have voted to approve, according to projections CNN reported Monday. Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota have all voted for the legalization of marijuana, either on the medicinal or recreational level. These states garnered enough support last year for state legislatures to see fit to include the measures on the ballots for the 2020 election, which allowed their respective citizens to vote on the matters. This approval is the first step in a process that would then move on to state legislatures setting up regulatory structures within each state.
However, these states are some of the last few that allowed for legalization via ballot measures. Others have initiative or veto referendum processes at the state level, which make it difficult to use ballot measures to shape public policy. Although advocates for the measures hope the election day results will bend the needle in their favor going forward, it will be a much more difficult fight in the remaining states.
Meanwhile, on the Federal level, the House recently approved a bill this past Friday to decriminalize and tax marijuana. Supporters of the bill claim this will help end the “war on drugs” and is an important racial justice measure, although many people question the poor timing for bringing the bill to the house floor. With Covid-19 cases and deaths at an all-time high in the United States, several representatives have pointed out that attention would be better spent on bringing relief to citizens and small businesses instead. However, one thing that is certain is ballot measures in the states have started the ball rolling and opened lines of communication throughout the nation.
