These States Could Legalize Marijuana In The 2020 Election

Marijuana is big business. In 2019, Colorado passed $1 billion in marijuana state revenue since its legalization in 2014, according to CNBC. California blew past $1 billion in marijuana tax revenue a mere two years after statewide legalization. 

While marijuana hasn’t been legalized federally, states are catching on to how it can stimulate local economies by boosting state revenue and creating jobs.

Today, there are at least five states with some sort of marijuana legalization on their ballot, including:

Arizona

Medical use of marijuana has been legal in Arizona for a decade, but now the state is eyeing  decriminalization of recreational use. 

Proposition 207 would allow adults 21 and up to possess, consume or transfer up to one ounce of cannabis. Should the prop pass, a regulatory system for the cultivation and sale of cannabis would be created. Arizonans with prior convictions for marijuana would have them removed from their criminal records. A 16% excise tax would be added to marijuana sales, on top of sales tax—and would rake in an estimated $200 to $300 million annually, according to Arizona Central. 

An October poll from Monmouth University shows widespread support for Proposition 207, but Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) opposes the measure. A similar provision was on Arizona’s ballot in 2016, but failed to pass.

New Jersey

New Jersey’s ballot includes a measure to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults aged 21 years and up. The recreational program would be overseen by the state’s medical cannabis program.

Governor Phil Murphy (D) has voiced support for the measure. Murphy stated the legalization could be “an incredibly smart thing to do” to help the state’s struggling economy as it weathers the coronavirus pandemic, according to NJ.com.

South Dakota

There are two provisions on South Dakota’s ballot regarding cannabis: Measure 26 and Amendment A. 

Measure 26 would create a medical cannabis program with a registration system for people with qualifying provisions; Amendment A would legalize cannabis for all adults aged 21 and up.

If Amendment A should pass, it could generate an estimated $10.7 million in net revenues for the 2022 fiscal year, and nearly $20 million in 2023, according to a KTIV, a local news affiliate in South Dakota. 

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) opposes both Measure 26 and Amendment A. The majority of South Dakota voters are expected to support legalizing marijuana, according to a local news source.

Mississippi

Mississippi has two provisions regarding marijuana on its ballot today, and both are for medical use only. However the fact that marijuana legalization is on the ballot at all marks a significant step for one of the most conservative states in the US. 

Initiative 65 would allow patients with at least one of a listed 22 “debilitating medical conditions” to use medical marijuana, and up to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana could be possessed at a time. More than 228,000 Mississippians signed petitions to put Initiative 65 on today’s ballot, according to local news affiliate WLBT3. The other provision, Alternative 65A, would allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana under the care of licensed physicians, nurses and pharmacists.

Some health care officials in Mississippi have voiced opposition against Initiative 65, saying it is “unregulatable” and that the state won’t receive any tax benefits from the sales. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) is also a vehement opponent. 

The Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Policies—a group of about 300 law enforcement leaders—has voiced opposition to both provisions.  

Montana

There are two provisions on Montana’s ballot today to legalize recreational marijuana use in Montana: CI-118 and Initiative 190. A Montana State University poll ran in October found widespread support—54%—for marijuana legalization.

CI-118 would allow anyone over 21 to purchase marijuana. Initiative 190 would legalize, regulate and tax marijuana at a 20% rate for nonmedical purchases. 

According to NBC Montana, the University of Montana has estimated recreational marijuana legalization would generate $236 million in state revenue by 2026.