Election 2018: Statewide Marijuana Reform Initiatives

NCIA supports efforts within the states to replace failed prohibition policies with systems that provide for legal and regulated access to cannabis for adults and patients with qualifying medical conditions. The expansion of our industry and the potential to replace criminal markets with licensed businesses that create jobs, generate tax revenue, and support their communities hinges upon the reforms at the state level.

NCIA has endorsed the following ballot initiatives for the November 6, 2018 election and we encourage our members and supporters of rational cannabis policy to get involved.

MICHIGAN

Michigan’s Proposal 1 would permit the personal possession, cultivation, and responsible use of cannabis for adults over 21 in the state as well as establish a regulatory system to license cultivation, retail, processing, and testing facilities. Medical cannabis has been legal in Michigan since 2008 but with the approval of Proposal 1, the state will likely become the second largest adult-use cannabis market in the nation.

For more information, visit the Michigan Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol campaign website.

MISSOURI

Show Me State voters will be deciding on Amendment 2, which would establish a compassionate program allowing patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical cannabis under the supervision of a doctor and will set up a system to properly regulate the production and distribution of medical cannabis through the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services. The measure would allow no less than 24 retail cannabis dispensaries in each of the state’s eight congressional districts.

For more information, visit New Approach Missouri’s campaign website.

NORTH DAKOTA

Voters in North Dakota will have an opportunity to vote on Measure 3, which would make the personal use, possession, and cultivation of cannabis legal for adults over 21 and expunge certain marijuana convictions.

For more information, visit the campaign website.

UTAH

If approved, Utah’s Proposition 2 would allow patients with certain qualifying conditions to use medical cannabis with a recommendation from a state-licensed physician. The initiative would also direct the state to license medical cannabis cultivation facilities and dispensaries in each of the state’s counties.

On October 4, 2018, the initiative’s supporters and opponents announced that they had reached an agreement on a compromise medical marijuana bill that will be enacted during a November special session, regardless of the outcome of Proposition 2. The compromise bill differs from Proposition 2 in a number of ways: it does not allow home cultivation, allows fewer dispensaries, and adds several regulations including dosage requirements. Proposition 2 will still appear on the 2018 ballot, but it will no longer determine the final outcome for Utah’s medical cannabis patients. However, it’s still important that Proposition 2 garners a wide majority of the vote in order to show strong support for the issue.

For more information, visit the Utah Patient Coalition campaign website.