Voters in five states will have their say in the legalization of recreational marijuana on Election Day, per CNBC.
Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota all have marijuana measures on the ballot. Should voters side with these measures, these states would join the 19 others and the District of Columbia, which have already legalized marijuana.
The vote on Tuesday (November 8) also comes about one month after President Joe Biden pardoned those convicted on prior federal charges of simple marijuana possession and called on state officials to follow suit.
Arkansas
Arkansas could become the first state in the deep South to legalize the recreational use of marijuana with the approval of Issue 4.
The measure would allow adults to buy up to an ounce of cannabis from licensed retailers and tax its sales by 10 percent. Per Issue 4, the sales tax would be directed to law enforcement, operations at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and drug court programs authorized by the Arkansas Drug Court Act, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Republican Gov. Asa Hutchison has been critical of Issue 4, which is sponsored by Responsible Growth Arkansas.
“We have to make sure we don’t move to decriminalization of drugs that are harming Americans. The fact that a drug is unlawful discourages usage,” Hutchinson said.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary and frontrunner to be Arkansas’ next governor, also has pushed back against the measure.
Maryland
Maryland could legalize marijuana for recreational use this election season if Question 4 garners a majority vote.
The proposed amendment allows for the possession of up to 1.5 ounces, or two marijuana plants, starting July 1, 2023. It also would make way for people arrested for marijuana to have their records cleared, and others serving time for simple possession to have their sentences reconsidered.
If passed, Question 4 would also establish a cannabis assistance fund for small businesses, as well as minority and women-owned businesses, in the industry.
Missouri
Voters in Missouri will have the chance to vote on Amendment 3, which would allow adults to purchase and possess up to three ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes.
A six percent tax on recreational marijuana sales would go toward automatic expungements for people with certain non-violent marijuana offenses, veterans’ health care, substance misuse treatment, and Missouri's public defender system.
Republican governor Mike Parson has come out in opposition of the measure, calling it a “disaster,” per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
North Dakota
North Dakota again has marijuana legalization on the ballot after a measure failed to pass in 2018 by a margin of 41 percent to 59 percent.
The revised proposal, Measure 2, which voters will weigh on Tuesday, allows adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana and grow three cannabis plants at home and gives permits to 18 cannabis retailers and seven cultivation facilities.
“The 2018 initiative was not written with sufficient safeguards,” Jared Moffat, the campaign director for New Approach North Dakota, who got the measure back on the ballot, said, noting that the previous proposal lacked guidelines for driving under the influence and employee drug testing.
“We have heard from many North Dakotans who voted against the 2018 ballot measure who are supportive of Measure 2 this year,” Moffat added.
South Dakota
Voters will consider possession and home cultivation of marijuana on Election Day in South Dakota.
The new proposal, Measure 27, comes after the state supreme court nullified the results of the 2020 election where voters approved a constitutional amendment to legalize cannabis.
If Measure 27 passes, adults would be able to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and own up to three plants at home.
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