[author: Susan Ryan]
Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. We’ve got one story this week, so let’s just get to it. Cannabis had a bad night on November 5.
FLORIDA
A majority of the electorate in Florida voted to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Sunshine State, but, because the state requires a 60% majority to pass a ballot initiative, the measure went down to defeat. The tally was 55.9% in favor and 44.1% opposed, according to the Associated Press. An enormous amount of money was spent on this campaign, over $100 million. Cannabis company Trulieve was a major supporter of legalization, while notable opponents included Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and the state Republican Party.
NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA
We frequently remind readers not to mix up their Dakotas when talking about cannabis, but in this election, they went the same way. Both states had adult-use legalization measures on their ballots – both for the third time. And both measures lost. In North Dakota, voters continued to just say no to cannabis, as they have done in two previous elections. The Associated Press shows the final numbers as 52.5% opposed and 47.5% in favor. As for South Dakota, which voted to legalize, saw that measure overturned by the courts, and then voted against legalization, the Associated Press shows 55.5% against and 44.5% in favor.
NEBRASKA
One possible bright spot for the cannabis industry was in Nebraska, where voters pulled the lever for medical marijuana legalization. The Associated Press shows the final numbers as 70.7% in favor and 29.3% opposed. That’s a very strong showing for cannabis, so why is it only a “possible” bright spot? A court challenge that could invalidate the vote. Stay tuned…
OTHER CANNABIS-RELATED VOTES
Legalizing wasn’t the only cannabis measure on the ballot this year. In Oregon, voters passed a measure mandating labor peace agreements in the cannabis industry. Meanwhile, in Texas, three cities, including Dallas, passed decriminalization measures.
AND FINALLY
Urban Outfitters has begun selling joint rollers and pre-roll papers at its brick and mortar stores and online. The clothing store has entered into an agreement with DaySavers to offer the products, providing yet another example of how cannabis is moving out of the side streets and onto Main Street.
Be well everyone – we’ll see you next week!
