by Madeline Grant, NCIA’s Government Relations Manager

With the election coming up just around the corner, 2020 could be another big year for our movement. It is imperative that we all head to the polls, send in our mail-in ballots and make our voices heard in this monumental election. This week I will briefly go over each ballot initiative that has officially qualified for the November ballot. As we continue to get closer to the election, I will get into detail about what each ballot initiative does for each state. 2020 has been a year of uncertainty and as we approach the election it is our duty as U.S. citizens to get out and vote and as members of the cannabis industry, it’s important that we support the expansion of markets by donating to initiative campaigns. 

Without further ado please see marijuana ballot initiatives below:

1. Arizona – Adult-Use: Smart and Safe Act (Prop 207)
2. Mississippi – Medical: Initiative 65 
   • The legislature also put a competing measure on the ballot (Initiative 65A).
3. New Jersey – Adult-Use: The New Jersey Marijuana Legalization Amendment
   • More information here.
4. Montana – Adult-Use: I-190 would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana in Montana. 
   • More information provided by the Marijuana Policy Project here.
5. Montana – CI-118 would allow the minimum legal age for marijuana to be set at 21.
   • More information provided by the Marijuana Policy Project here.
6. South Dakota – Medical- Initiated Measure 26
   • More information provided by the Marijuana Policy Project here.
7. South Dakota – Adult-use (and protects medical law) Constitutional Amendment A 
   • More information provided by the Marijuana Policy Project here.
8. Nebraska – Medical marijuana ballot initiative is no longer happening due to the Nebraska Supreme Court deeming the legalization of medical marijuana on the November ballot as unconstitutional. Following over 180,000 signatures by Nebraskans in support of the measure, the Supreme Court decided to not include the vote on November’s ballot on the day before the deadline. The justification of unconstitutionality came from Nebraska’s single-subject rule for a ballot measure, which bans multiple issues into yes-or-no questions for voters to address. 

It is more important than ever to get out and vote. Our government relations team works hard in our nation’s Capital to achieve legislative victories at the federal level; however, achieving legislative victories at each state is just as important. It is through each successful ballot initiative at the state that provides the proof and support for legislative change and policy reform at the federal level. States are moving forward; therefore, we must be on Capitol Hill. We must keep fighting the good fight and get out and show our support for cannabis policy reform. 

Are you interested in any of these states or want to learn more about one of these ballot initiatives? If so, please feel free to reach out to me to set up a meeting to discuss the information in more detail or contact the campaigns directly to find out how you can support them.