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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