With less than five months left before Americans go to the polls, several states have expressed interest in the cannabis industry.
At least 10 states are mulling cannabis legalization for either medical or recreational use or even both. Many of the proposals are still at the initial stages, gathering signatures or waiting for official reviews. Even so, the following four states stand the best chance to legalize cannabis this November.
New Jersey
The Garden State has the best chance to legalize marijuana. In December 2019, the state’s two legislative houses voted decisively to support a constitutional amendment that allows citizens to vote for or against recreational marijuana legalization in the November ballot.
The new law allows consumption and sale of recreational cannabis and adults aged 21 years and above to purchase the substance. The government aims to collect an excise tax on all cannabis sales. Already 61% of New Jersey voters support the legalization of recreational cannabis, according to a Monmouth University poll released in April.
Arizona
While Arizona currently has five separate marijuana initiatives under consideration, the state has better chances of legalizing recreational cannabis. In 2016, Arizona became the only one of the nine states whose medical or recreational cannabis proposal or amendment didn’t pass. The state’s Proposition 205 came quite close, with “yes” votes hitting nearly 48%. Based on the previous history, the initiative is likely to pass this time around, as did happen for both California and Oregon. Already 65% of Arizona voters support recreational cannabis legalization, according to a recent poll highlighted by Marijuana Moment.
Mississippi
Mississippi has all along been a conservative state and conservatives are opposed to cannabis legalization of any form. However, the state stands a good chance of joining the other 33 states, which previously legalized medical cannabis.
Mississippi voters will decide between two questions when they hit the polls in November. The first question requires a yes-or-no vote on whether medical marijuana should be legalized in the state. If they vote in favour of legalization, voters will have to choose between Initiative 65 and Initiative 65A.
Initiative 65 allows patients with more than 20 qualifying conditions to use medical cannabis in a more lax manner. On the other hand, Initiative 65A allows only terminally ill patients to smoke medical weed. It also comes with increased medical oversight for patients using medical cannabis. Earlier this year, 67% of Mississippi voters showed support for medical cannabis legalization, according to a survey by Millsaps College and Chism Strategies.
South Dakota
Closing the list of four states with the best chance of legalizing marijuana this November is South Dakota. That’s because the Mount Rushmore State is the first to put both medical marijuana measure and a recreational proposal before the voters at the same time.
It’s Constitutional Amendment A aims for adult-use marijuana legalization and requires the legislature to pass laws that would allow the use of medical cannabis and hemp by April 1, 2022. Another possibility is the state’s Measure 26, which aims to establish a medical marijuana program in South Dakota for qualifying patients.
In what states is recreational cannabis legal in 2020?
As of 2020, recreational cannabis is legal in Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, District of Columbia. However, every state has its own restriction on quantities, cultivation and etc.
In what states is only medical cannabis legal in 2020?
As of 2020, medical cannabis is legal in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia (Partly), Hawaii, Idaho (Partly), Illinois, Indiana (Partly), Iowa (Partly), Kansas (Partly), Kentucky (Partly), Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi (Partly), Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina (Partly), North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina (Partly), Tennessee (Partly), Texas (Partly), Utah, Vermont, Virginia (Partly), Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin (Partly), Wyoming (Partly), District of Columbia.
In what states is legal to grow cannabis at home in 2020?
You can legally grow a small amount of cannabis at home in Alaska, California, Colorado, Arizona (medical use only), Arkansas (medical use only), Delaware (medical use only), Florida (medical use only), Hawaii (medical use only), Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota (medical use only), Missouri (medical use only), Montana (medical use only), Nevada, New Hampshire (medical use only), New Jersey (medical use only), New Mexico (medical use only), Ohio (medical use only), Oklahoma (medical use only), Oregon, Pennsylvania (medical use only), Rhode Island (medical use only), Vermont, District of Columbia. Keep in mind that every state has its own limits on how many plants per household is allowed.
