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Groundbreaking Number of States to Vote on Marijuana in Nov.

Marijuana Ballot Initiatives

As of now, nine states will have pro-marijuana initiatives on their November ballots. Several others are still working on verifying signatures and/or fighting legal battles over measures. Five states will vote to legalize recreational marijuana and four will vote to legalize medical marijuana.

It is expected that the outcome of these votes may have an impact on setting the tone for national marijuana legalization in the near future, The Washington Post reports.

Recreational Marijuana Initiatives

California – Early polls show 60-percent support for legalizing recreational marijuana in California. The California Democratic Party, ACLU, NAACP of California, and the California Medical Association support the initiative.

Nevada – Nevada has an estimated 40 million visitors annually and 2.8 million residents, so legalizing recreational marijuana would generate billions. Polls show that 50-percent of Nevadans support recreational legalization.

Arizona – Early polls show that only 39-percent of voters support recreational legalization in Arizona. Voting history patterns show that Republicans are more likely to oppose recreational marijuana legalization, and Arizona is a primarily Republican state.

Massachusetts –  In July, 41-percent of voters in Massachusetts said they would not vote in favor of recreational marijuana. Influential politicians, such as Governor Charlie Baker, are fiercely campaigning against recreational marijuana.

Maine – More than 50-percent of Mainers support legalizing recreational marijuana. Petition controversy over the validity of tens of thousands of signatures attempted to thwart the initiative from being on the November ballot, but ultimately the initiative made it onto the ballot.

Medical Marijuana Initiatives

 

Florida – For years, Florida has been trying to legalize medical marijuana, but Florida’s initiatives require a 60-percent or more vote to pass. The 2014 vote came just 2-percent short of approval, at 58-percent.

Arkansas – A June poll showed that 58-percent of Arkansas voters support medical marijuana. There are two medical marijuana initiatives on Arkansas’ November ballot; if both pass, the initiative with the highest number of votes will be made law.

North Dakota –North Dakota is a conservative state, so many predictions don’t see medical marijuana legalization passing.

Montana – Montana has an existing medical marijuana law, but it is too restrictive for dispensary owners, which has drastically reduced the number of providers (by 90-percent), forcing most dispensaries to close. The new measure would fix some of the restrictions on providers.