With less than a week to the polls, cannabis enthusiasts in the US hold their breath as marijuana legalization measures continue to lead in five states with cannabis on the ballot.
A win for marijuana legalization?
In New Jersey, voters look forward to endorsing with landslide victory adult-use legalization on November 3. A similar move is expected in Arizona, where the adult-use vote currently stands at 55%, with 37% opposing. Montana legalization equally looks secure.
In South Dakota, voters seem to love medical legalization but are still undecided on adult-use legalization. In Mississippi, the medical legalization proposal remains a 50-50 battle.
This is how the states rank in terms of their support for cannabis legalization:
Arizona
Proposal 207, which seeks to legalize adult-use cannabis, commands 55% support against 37% from those who oppose it in Arizona. This is according to the latest poll done by OH Predictive Insights in early October. A similar poll done by Monmouth University around the same time produced almost the same results: 56% approve while 36% oppose.
Mississippi
In Mississippi, everything seems locked on a 50-50 basis. The latest poll from the state falls under the soft data category. During the poll, which was conducted last summer, 81% of the respondents approved medical marijuana legalization. However, the ultimate results will depend on whether the voters will approve Initiative 65, the actual medical legalization measure.
Montana
Montana currently boasts a 10-point lead for marijuana legalization. According to a poll conducted by Montana State University in early October, 49% of respondents supported adult-use legalization, while 39% opposed it. The ultimate result depends on the decision of the undecided voters who come to Election Day.
Going by the dictates of conventional wisdom, the 12% undecided voters are more likely to settle on the status quo. If that happens, the undecided voters will most likely vote against the change that legalization seeks to bring. Even so, legalization opponents would need all the votes of the uncommitted voters to beat the ballot measure.
New Jersey
In NJ, voters remain upbeat in their full support for recreational cannabis legalization—and expungement too. The latest poll from the state done by Brach Eichler on October 20 revealed more support for adult-use legalization. Up to 65% support the move while 29% oppose it, and only 6% are undecided. For the first time in New Jersey, voters express support for expunging records of all levels of marijuana-related crimes. On this specific proposal, 51% support the move while 32% oppose, and 16% are undecided.
South Dakota
In South Dakota, 51% of voters approve adult-use legalization, while 44% oppose it. It’s also in SD that voters will get the opportunity to legalize both medical and adult-use cannabis on the same ballot. Most voters are for medical use, with 74% supporting it, but there’s a 50-50 split on recreational use.
