Public support for legalizing cannabis remains near its all-time high and momentum in favor of reforming America's failed cannabis criminalization policies continues to grow despite mixed results on election night.
"Every movement suffers temporary setbacks. But our consistent upward trajectory is undeniable," said NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano, "Public support for legalization has risen 20 percentage points in the past decade and now sits at 68 percent nationwide. Nearly 180 million Americans reside in a jurisdiction where the possession, use, and sale of marijuana by adults is legally regulated. Medical cannabis is legally accessible in the majority of states in this country. No state has ever repealed its marijuana legalization laws and there's no 'buyer's remorse' among voters."
Anthony Coniglio, CEO of NewLake, echoed a similar sentiment. "Last night's election delivered mixed results regarding cannabis policy. It is clear Americans support medical cannabis by wide margins. However, there is caution from the electorate regarding adult-use policies in more conservative districts."
Armentano emphasized that on election night, Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a pair of ballot measures to provide qualifying patients with access to medical cannabis, while voters in Dallas (population 1.3 million people) and two other Texas cities decided in favor of municipal measures prohibiting local law enforcement from making low-level marijuana-related arrests.
In Florida, a statewide measure that sought to legalize marijuana possession and sales for adults received more than 1.2 million more 'yes' votes than 'no' votes. However, because of unique rules in Florida, the constitutional amendment required support from a near supermajority (60 percent) of voters and it did not meet that threshold. The amendment was publicly opposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who spent millions of dollars on taxpayer-funded messaging and made several unfounded claims against the initiative.
Adult-use legalization initiatives in the Dakotas failed to gain majority support from voters this year. Similar measures in those states had previously failed in 2022. South Dakota voters had previously approved an adult-use initiative in 2020, but that result was later invalidated by the state Supreme Court. Both states currently regulate medical cannabis access.
Coniglio pointed out how the medical cannabis initiative in a state such as Nebraska, which Donald Trump won with 60% support, eclipsed a 70% support. In Kentucky, more than 100 cities and counties voted to allow cannabis businesses in the region. "As of Wednesday morning, none of those jurisdictions voted against cannabis," he remarked. "In fact, many jurisdictions saw over 60% and in some cases over 70% support for medical cannabis in a sate where Donald Trump won nearly 65% of the votes." Adult-use initiatives in red states faced a different fate on Election Day. Florida's adult-use measure had a strong showing with 56% support, mirroring Donald Trump's results, but unfortunately, it fell short of the 60% supermajority needed to pass. Meanwhile, North Dakota and South Dakota adult-use initiatives, which only needed a majority of support to pass, received 47% and 44% support, respectively.
Armentano reiterated, "Setbacks are inherent to political movements. But movements are defined by how advocates respond to them. There's little doubt that legalizing marijuana remains among the few issues most Americans agree upon. In fact, in this election, we saw for the first time both major party Presidential candidates voicing support for amending federal marijuana laws. It is now up to advocates to ensure that the incoming administration follows through on this promise, and it is pivotal that we continue to lobby state lawmakers to adopt marijuana policies that align with the will of the majority of voters who want to see an end to cannabis criminalization."
On the other hand, Coniglio added, "A strong majority of Americans want access to cannabis for medical purposes and work remains in conservative districts to unlock freedom of choice for recreational purposes. I believe the resounding support for medical cannabis across the political spectrum can only be positive for the DEA's process to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III, unlocking the opportunity for expanded research into the medical benefits of the plant. On the legislative front, where Republicans won control of the Senate, selection of the Majority Leader will be important to understanding the opportunity for reform in the upcoming Congress. It is certainly positive that Donald Trump has openly backed rescheduling, banking rights for the cannabis industry and states right to decide on cannabis policy without federal interference. However, a lot depends on who he appoints as cabinet members and where these reforms fall into the Republican priorities."
For more information:
NORML
1420 K Street, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 483-5500
norml.org
NewLake Capital
www.newlake.com