Marijuana reform advanced through multiple state legislatures this year—and voters in two more states voted to legalize adult-use cannabis at the ballot in November. But while there was significant progress for legalization activists in 2022, lawmakers and activists weren’t able to get legalization across the finish line everywhere this session.
As a reminder, 2022 marked a year where cannabis policy changes were enacted by legislatures in states are ideologically distinct as Mississippi and Rhode Island. And voters in Maryland and Missouri elected to legalize recreational marijuana during the midterm election
Still, there are a handful of states that came close to ending prohibition—with one chamber of the legislature passing a legalization bill, for example—only to later stall. In other states, reform measures made the ballot and then were rejected by voters. In others, activist-led campaigns didn’t end up qualifying for ballot access by established deadlines or were stifled by court challenges.
That said, even with some defeats at the polls this year, advocates are already gearing up for election pushes over the next two years, with the stage set for scheduled or expected legalization votes in states like Oklahoma and Ohio so far. And legislatures where reform bills passed one
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