November 5 is shaping up to be a historic day for marijuana law reform, with six states considering various marijuana proposals.
This November, voters in three states could legalize recreational marijuana, while one state will vote on medical marijuana legalization. Another state will consider a significant expansion of its medical marijuana law, and one state will vote on a first-of-its-kind bill to protect unionizing marijuana workers.
Below is a deeper look at these six proposals.
Florida
In Florida, Amendment 3 would legalize recreational marijuana for everyone aged 21 and older. If approved, individuals could purchase and possess up to three ounces of cannabis, with a five-gram limit on concentrates. Supported by the Smart & Safe Florida campaign, which has raised over $100 million, the amendment would also allow licensed retailers and medical dispensaries to sell cannabis for recreational use.
As a constitutional amendment, it requires 60% voter approval to pass. According to an Emerson College poll, as well as a poll conducted by Suffolk University Political Research Center, USA TODAY, and WSVN-TV, support for the measure among likely voters in above the 60% threshold.
North Dakota
North Dakota voters will consider Measure 5, which would also legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. If passed, the measure would allow possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, four grams of concentrate, and 300 milligrams of edibles. It also creates a regulated market with a limited number of retail and cultivation licenses.
South Dakota
South Dakota voters will reconsider recreational marijuana legalization with Measure 29. Voters in the state approved a similar measure in 2020, but it was overturned by the courts. Measure 29 seeks to legalize marijuana in a similar manner, while addressing the issues that caused the court to overturn the 2020 proposal.
Measure 29 would allow those 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to 12 plants for personal use. Marijuana and a variety of marijuana products would be purchasable via licensed marijuana retail outlets.
Arkansas
This November Arkansas voters will consider Issue 3, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024. The measure would allow patients to cultivate up to 14 marijuana plants at a private residence (with up to seven allowed to be mature at any given time). Additionally, restrictions on certain smokeable products, like pre-rolls, would be lifted.
The proposal includes other reforms such as:
- Enabling telehealth services for medical marijuana consultations.
- Extending protections to out-of-state medical marijuana patients.
- Lengthening the validity of medical marijuana cards from one year to three.
- Authorizing physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists to recommend medical marijuana.
- Allowing healthcare professionals to recommend medical marijuana for any condition, as opposed to the current list of approved ailments.
- Legalizing recreational marijuana with a one-ounce possession limit, contingent upon federal descheduling.
According to polling released this month, a strong majority of likely Arkansas voters support the proposal. The poll, commissioned by Talk Business & Politics and conducted by Hendrix College, found that 54% of likely voters support Issue 3, with 35.5% opposed, and 10.5% undecided.
Nebraska
Oregon
Measure 119, the United for Cannabis Workers Act, was put forth by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555. The initiative “would ensure that cannabis workers’ freedoms to organize and bargain collectively are protected under state law”, according to a press release from UFCW. No one would be required to join a union, but workers would have the freedom to do so if they choose.
“Workers across every industry should have the freedom to unionize if they so choose”, says Dan Clay, President, UFCW Local 555. “This ballot measure closes an age-old loophole that deprives that right to thousands of Oregon cannabis workers. Shady cannabis tycoons have taken advantage of an outdated law to strip workers’ rights that are guaranteed to nearly every other American. By passing Measure 119, voters will enshrine the freedom to unionize in the Oregon Cannabis industry.”
