WASHINGTON — Voters in three states – Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota – will decide this Election Day on statewide ballot measures to legalize the use of marijuana by adults. Nebraska also has a pair of medical cannabis measures on the ballot, though ongoing litigation could result in those votes being invalidated.
Currently, 24 states – comprising 54 percent of the US population – have legalized and regulated adult-use marijuana markets.
According to recent polls, all of these measures are competitive. “Voters’ support for repealing cannabis criminalization crosses party lines,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “That is why, historically, these ballot initiative efforts have been equally successful at the ballot box in both ‘red’ and ‘blue’ states. We anticipate similar outcomes this November.”
In 2022, voters in Maryland and Missouri approved measures legalizing the adult use of marijuana. In 2020, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota voters approved adult-use legalization measures. (South Dakota’s election results were later nullified by the state’s Supreme Court.) In 2016, California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada voters approved similar ballot measures.
Several of this year’s ballot measures faced protracted litigation by opponents, who sought to remove the measures from the ballot over perceived technicalities. Most of those efforts were unsuccessful; however, one such attempt succeeded in eliminating voters’ opportunity to decide a medical cannabis ballot question in Arkansas.
“With public support for marijuana policy reform reaching super-majority status in recent years, prohibitionists and other political opponents have largely abandoned efforts to try and influence public opinion,” NORML’s Armentano said. “Rather, they are now relying on anti-democratic gamesmanship to prevent voters from weighing in on the issue.”
In addition to these statewide efforts, voters in multiple cities will decide on municipal ballot questions this fall. For instance, voters in three Texas cities – Bastrop, Dallas, and Lockhart – will decide on measures seeking to amend local laws deprioritizing simple marijuana possession arrests. Voters in several Kentucky municipalities will also vote on ballot questions regarding whether to permit medical cannabis dispensaries within those localities.
“This is the fourth presidential election in which voters in multiple jurisdictions will have the chance to overturn failed and outdated marijuana laws in favor of sensible, evidence-based policies. However, it is the first one in which both major presidential candidates have voiced their support for ending prohibition,” added NORML Political Director Morgan Fox. “Few policies are more broadly popular than legalizing and regulating cannabis for adults, and no state has ever repealed or rolled back its legalization laws, indicating they are working as voters and policymakers intended. As voters increasingly prioritize this issue, we are seeing it become more prominent in elections at all levels of government. Going forward, we will continue to hold elected officials accountable for obstruction or inaction, and demand that they make good on their supportive campaign statements without delay.”
For a detailed breakdown of 2024 ballot initiatives, please visit NORML’s Election Central.
About NORML
NORML advocates for changes in public policy so that the responsible possession and use of marijuana by adults is no longer subject to criminal penalties. NORML further advocates for a regulated commercial cannabis market so that activities involving the for-profit production and retail sale of cannabis and cannabis products are safe, transparent, consumer-friendly, and are subject to state and/or local licensure. Finally, NORML advocates for additional changes in legal and regulatory policies so that those who use marijuana responsibly no longer face either social stigma or workplace discrimination, and so that those with past criminal records for marijuana-related violations have the opportunity to have their records automatically expunged.
