Legal Weed 2016...A Candidate We All Can Agree Upon (Update Wednesday Nov 9th)

Nine states will vote to legalize marijuana this November and here’s what will likely happen…

UPDATE  8 out of  9 states passed their marijuana ballots and the 9th state was a close call!

(Photo Creative Commons)

Recreational Marijuana (adults ages 21 and over) is on the ballot in five states (Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada).

UPDATE  The recreational marijuana ballots passed in California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada! Arizona's Prop 205 nearly passed with 47.8% of the vote.

(The most likely) - California, Massachusetts, and Maine

The most recent poll by USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times has 58% of the state’s voters choosing in favor of legalization with Prop 64. That falls in line with a combined polling average of 58.7% by Ballotpedia. Also, support for Question Four in Massachusetts is growing with 55% in the latest poll by WBUR. In addition, Maine seems likely to vote yes on Question One. According to the last poll by the Portland Press Herald/University of New Hampshire, fifty-three percent will vote in favor of legalization.

(On the Fence) - Nevada and Arizona

Fifty percent of the respondents in the latest Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll supported legalization. Forty-two percent were against it. Nevada is more contentious. The Las Vegas Review- Journal recently found that 47% of voters supported Nevada’s Question 2 with 43% opposed. 

Medical Marijuana is on the ballot of four states (Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota).

UPDATE  The medical marijuana ballots passed in all four states!

(Bet the farm) - Florida

Nothing short of a zombie apocalypse in the state capitol will stop Amendment 2 from passing. A variety of polls find that 70% of the voters in the Sunshine State will approve this proposal.

(Unlikely) - Arkansas and Montana

The Arkansas Supreme Court dismissed a medical marijuana initiative from the ballot (Issue 7) because the sponsors of the bill didn’t obtain the necessary number of signatures. On the other hand, there is a very similar medical marijuana proposal (Issue 6) that will remain on the ballot. However, according to the latest survey, 50% of the respondents were against the medical marijuana proposal with 45% polling in favor.

There is only one available poll, Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, in Montana regarding Initiative 182. Both surveys find that 51% were against the proposal with 44% in favor.

(Who knows?) - North Dakota

There is no available polling data.

Prognosis

Florida will become the 26^th state with medical marijuana.

It looks like recreational marijuana will be legal on the entire West Coast. If Nevada and Arizona can pull through, there will likely be nine states, in addition to the District of Columbia, with recreational marijuana. Furthermore, the latest Gallup poll found that 60% of Americans now favor the legalization of recreational marijuana. That will force the federal government to take notice.

We have to continue to push this issue onto the ballot in the states where this is applicable. Twenty-four states have systems in place for ballot initiatives. Of those 24, that leaves 15 states in which recreational marijuana isn’t currently legal or up for vote in November. Illinois, Michigan, and New Mexico seem to be the most likely to follow this route because their states already allow medical marijuana. Medical marijuana remains illegal in Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, where this issue could be placed on the ballot for the next election.