By:
Gregory D. Thomas, Esq.
In an April blog, I discussed trends in marijuana legalization and reclassification
in the United States. Since then, the states of Ohio and Louisiana have
legalized marijuana in one form or another, bringing the total number
of states where medical marijuana is legal to twenty-six – a majority.
Four of those states, along with Washington D.C., have legal recreational
marijuana laws on their books, and several others will vote on recreational
marijuana in November. Those numbers could balloon to as many as thirty-two
states (64%) and eleven states (22%), respectively.
Below is the status of potential new marijuana legislation by state:
California - An initiative is on the November 2016 ballot to legalize recreational
marijuana.
Florida - An initiative is on the November 2016 ballot to legalize medical
marijuana.
Maine – An initiative is on the November 2016 ballot to legalize
recreational marijuana.
Nevada - An initiative is on the November 2016 ballot to legalize recreational
marijuana.
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Arizona - A petition to legalize recreational marijuana is awaiting approval
to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
Arkansas - A petition to legalize medical marijuana is awaiting approval
to be placed on the November 2016 ballot. There is a separate campaign
to legalize medical marijuana that is still gathering signatures.
Massechusetts - A petition to legalize recreational marijuana is awaiting
approval to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.*
Michigan - A petition to legalize recreational marijuana is awaiting approval
to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
Missouri - A petition to legalize medical marijuana is awaiting approval
to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
Montana - A petition to legalize medical marijuana dispensaries is awaiting
approval to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
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Arizona – A campaign to legalize recreational marijuana is still
gathering signatures for a petition to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.*
North Dakota - A campaign to legalize recreational marijuana is still gathering
signatures for a petition to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.* A
separate campaign to legalize medical marijuana is still gathering signatures
for a petition to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
Oklahoma - A campaign to legalize medical marijuana is still gathering
signatures for a petition to be placed on the November 2016 ballot.
Some of these states will probably fail to pass legal marijuana laws, but
as more states legalize marijuana production and use within their borders,
it will become increasingly more difficult to stem the tide of legalized
marijuana in this country even with federal prohibition.
* Denotes a ballot measure that is failing in recent polls.
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