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With just shy of six months to go until Election Day, the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida is kicking into high gear as sponsor Smart & Safe Florida announced the release of a batch of new ads aimed to educate voters on the amendment and increase support.

According to a news release from Smart & Safe Florida, four ads are set to air statewide across broadcast, cable, streaming, radio and digital platforms.

The ads feature a variety of Floridians, including mothers, business professionals and a former law enforcement officer and Vietnam War veteran, speaking in favor of Amendment 3 and explaining why residents should have the freedom to consume safe and regulated cannabis.

Smart & Safe Florida spent $5 million on the ad campaign.

Florida’s New Recreational Weed Ad Campaign: A Closer Look

The four ads touch on many of the same themes, though each has its own unique focus surrounding why Florida voters should support Amendment 3 this November.

The “Freedom” ad features retired U.S. Army Col. Wilson Barnes, who references the current policies as “outdated,” costing many Floridians their freedom while highlighting his military service as a means to defend that freedom. 

The “Available” ad primarily highlights the current abundance of illicit cannabis in the state and the potential dangers of consuming unregulated and untested products. The “Clear Choice” ad poses a “no” vote on Amendment 3 as a means to continue allowing “cartel criminals to profit from illegal marijuana laced with toxic chemicals and dangerous drugs” and a “yes” vote as providing more consumer safety.

The “Vote Yes” ad is the only full-minute clip and touches on most of the points of the other three 30-second ads. All of the advertisements also note that the amendment would provide more freedom for residents and generate revenue for schools, police and safer communities.

“A yes vote on Amendment 3 will improve the health and safety of Floridians,” the news release states — a similar message to the verbiage utilized in the four advertisements. “Access to regulated adult-use marijuana would help prevent illicit cartel-trafficked marijuana from making its way into Florida, as well as allow law enforcement to focus on violent crime. Without regulation, these products can be laced with dangerous materials including heavy metals, pesticides, glass, heroin, fentanyl and other illegal substances.”

Upping the Ante and Closing Gaps for Approval

The amendment was approved for the ballot early last month after the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the challenges from Attorney General Ashley Moody — who argued that the measure was misleading and doesn’t inform voters about federal prohibition — were invalid.

A “yes” vote on Amendment 3 supports legalizing adult-use cannabis and permitting possession of up to three ounces of flower and up to five grams of concentrate, and a “no” opposes adult-use legalization and all it would pertain.

The campaign comes after recent polling suggesting that support for legal recreational cannabis in Florida is strong, but may not be enough to actually pass the amendment come Election Day.

In Florida, measures must gain 60% support in order to pass. 

A recent USA Today/Ipsos survey found that 56% of registered Florida voters, and 49% of Florida adults overall, support the measure. Another poll released earlier this month also falls short of the required threshold for approval, finding that 58% of Florida voters support legalizing adult-use cannabis.

“A smart and safe Florida means a regulated marijuana market where Floridians no longer need to turn to illicit cartel-trafficked products on the streets,” said Smart & Safe Florida spokesperson Morgan Hill. “More than half of Americans already enjoy access to safe, regulated marijuana, and we believe Floridians deserve that same freedom. Our campaign in support of Amendment 3 is in full swing, and we’re excited to continue connecting with voters through to November.”

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A majority of cannabis consumers who are likely to vote in this fall’s general election say they would vote for a pro-cannabis candidate regardless of their party affiliation, according to the results of a recent survey. The poll, which was conducted by the medical marijuana telehealth platform NuggMD, found that 59% of likely voters who use weed would cast their ballot for a pro-cannabis presidential candidate regardless of that candidate’s political party.

NuggMD’s 2024 Election Poll surveyed 755 cannabis users about their opinions surrounding the relevance of cannabis reform in the upcoming presidential election. When asked whether a presidential candidate’s endorsement of pro-cannabis policies would increase their likelihood of voting for that candidate, 59% of the respondents selected the reply “Yes, this would make me more likely to vote for that candidate regardless of their party.” Only 14% of respondents said they are already locked into voting for their party or candidate of choice.

“This poll shows that adopting pro-cannabis policies can move more constituents into either party’s camp,” Deb Tharp, head of legal and policy research at NuggMD, said in a statement from the company. “This is a large voting population we’re talking about, and its demographics are changing quickly.”

The poll showed the Democratic candidate outpacing the GOP frontrunner in the November election among those who use cannabis regularly, a voting block that is approximately 35 million strong nationwide. The poll showed that 43% of respondents planned to vote for President Joseph Biden, while 36% said they intended to vote for Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Biden also polled well ahead of a generic Republican candidate, while Trump was roughly tied with a generic Democratic candidate.

The Democratic Party also faired better when respondents were asked about cannabis policy in general. A majority of respondents (56%) said the Democrats in elected positions have better ideas for cannabis policy, while only 16% said the same of Republican elected officials

Both political parties could be doing a better job of supporting cannabis policy reform, according to the survey. Nearly 40% of the poll’s respondents indicated that they believe Democrats “want to suppress the legal use of cannabis,” while two-thirds (68%) said the same of Republicans.

The survey also found that 88% of respondents said understanding cannabis culture is a requirement for writing and passing effective cannabis legislation. However, 73% said elected officials in general currently lack that understanding.

Overall, the survey showed that Democratic candidates in the upcoming election have an opportunity to gain votes from the cannabis community by leaning into weed reform, a move that would likely separate them from their GOP opponents.

“Respondents say they’re motivated by policy commitments and wins, not by grievance politics, outrage, or red meat,” Tharp explained. “The degree to which this emerging constituency is moveable, and how to move them, will probably come as a surprise to insiders of both parties.”

“To me, it signals that Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot by continuing to embrace the platform of prohibition,” she continued. “Democrats should double down on cannabis and expand their voting base by embracing full decriminalization and expungement for victims of targeted, unjust enforcement.”

In an email, Tharp pointed to Florida, where the state Supreme Court ruled last week that a weed legalization bid can appear on the November ballot, as “an example of a state where cannabis consumers as a voting bloc could help drive an electoral surprise this November.”

“Adult-use legislation is on the November ballot in Florida and needs 60 percent to pass,” she said. “It’s going to be close, and this will motivate turnout among the estimated two million voting-age Floridians who use cannabis every month.” 

“Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, and practically every other Republican elected official in Florida continue to rail against the measure,” she added. “While our poll doesn’t measure whether there’s an electoral punishment associated with loudly and wrongly rejecting common-sense drug policy, it does establish that there is an electoral reward for endorsing pro-cannabis policies, so the opening for Democrats is obvious.”

“If Democrats want to win seats, they should use their platform to support legal cannabis,” Tharp concluded. “If Republicans want to keep their seats, then they need to wake up and realize their voting base is sick of seeing people imprisoned over cannabis when there are real issues that need our attention.”

NuggMD.com conducted the poll digitally from March 25 to April 3 using a random sample of its first-party data. In total, 53,380 individuals were contacted and 755 completed the survey, resulting in a margin of error of 3.89% at a confidence level of 95%. Six swing states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) that could likely decide the outcome of this fall’s election were over-indexed to give the poll more electoral relevance. 

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Democratic strategists see opportunities to attract Florida voters to the party’s candidates now that constitutional amendment initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana and guarantee broader abortion rights have qualified for the ballot. The Florida Supreme Court announced on April 1 that Amendment 3 to legalize adult-use cannabis and Amendment 4 to protect abortion rights had fulfilled state requirements and would appear on the ballot for this fall’s presidential general election.

If passed, Amendment 3 would legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and older and allow Florida’s existing licensed medical marijuana retailers to begin serving all adult consumers. Amendment 4 says that “no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider,” with an exception for laws that require parental notification when minors get abortions. If passed, the amendment would effectively nullify a separate Supreme Court ruling issued last week that upheld the state’s 15-week limit on abortion and set the stage for approval of a six-week limit.

With 30 electoral votes, both the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns eye Florida as a significant step on the path to victory in November. Democratic strategists see the addition of Amendment 3 and Amendment 4 to the November ballot as an opportunity to attract young voters, who tend to support abortion rights and cannabis policy reform.

“Both abortion and marijuana legalization are highly resonate with young people, which is a key demographic that the president has got to turn out,” Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the grassroots progressive group Our Revolution, told The Hill. 

Biden Campaign Eyes Florida

On Monday, the Biden campaign released a memo indicating it would invest heavily in Trump’s home state of Florida, saying the policies of the former president and the Republican Party are “making Floridians’ lives worse.” Four years ago, Trump won the Sunshine State with 51% of the vote, while Biden took 48% of the vote.

Julie Chávez Rodríguez, the campaign manager for Biden’s reelection bid, said that the campaign is running ads in Florida targeting young voters and other demographic groups including Black and Hispanic voters. 

“Make no mistake: Florida is not an easy state to win, but it is a winnable one for President Biden, especially given Trump’s weak, cash-strapped campaign, and serious vulnerabilities within his coalition,” she said in the memo.

To win the state, the Biden campaign will have to have a strong showing from Democratic-leaning voting blocks including Black voters and young adults. Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party and an ally of the medical cannabis industry while serving as the state’s commissioner of agriculture, said she has already observed increased enthusiasm among young voters since the court rulings last week.

“Just based purely on watching social media in the last 24 hours, the youth vote is excited about the opportunity to be voting on cannabis and abortion in November,” she said.

Michael Starr Hopkins has experience running Democratic campaigns in Florida, serving as senior advisor for former Congressman Charlie Crist’s unsuccessful bid for governor of the state in 2022. As the country gears up for the November vote, the Democratic strategist sees the views of many Republicans as incompatible with those of most younger voters.

“Abortion and marijuana on the ballot could be an electoral earthquake for the youth vote in Florida. The GOP’s anti-choice, anti-cannabis stance isn’t just out of touch, it’s straight out of the stone age,” said Starr Hopkins. “Having these two hot-button issues front and center is going to turbocharge youth turnout, which is never a good thing for Republicans.”

Democrats See Success in Ohio and Alabama

Democrats see similarities between the situation developing in Florida this year with the 2023 race in Ohio. The ballot for that election included an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana and an amendment to enshrine the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits” in the Ohio Constitution. Propelled in part by a strong turnout of young voters, both ballot measures passed, handing Republican party leaders two losses in one fell swoop.

In Alabama late last month, Democrat Marilyn Lands won a special election for a state House seat after leaning into abortion rights and protecting in vitro fertilization (IVF) as issues for her campaign. Only weeks before, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen human embryos are legally people, leading to a halt of IVF services in the state, at least temporarily.

“Ballot initiatives can be game changing for campaigns. Just last week we saw a Democrat win a state house seat in Alabama focused on IVF, showing the power of the issue in a deep red state,” said Democratic strategist Andrea Riccio, co-founder of Velocity Partners. “With recreational marijuana use and abortion access on the ballot, the Biden campaign has a real opportunity to activate young voters and turn Florida blue.”

Currently, Trump has a 0.8 percentage point lead over Biden overall, according to The Hill and Decision Desk HQ’s aggregation of polls. With weed and abortion on the ballot in Florida, however, Democrats believe they can overcome the deficit in the state, securing its 30 electoral votes for Biden.

“If the GOP keeps underestimating the power of pissed-off young people, they’re in for a rude awakening at the ballot box. Florida could slip from their grasp as cash-strapped Republicans struggle to counter the surge of energized young voters,” said Starr Hopkins. “It’s a perfect storm that could spell disaster for the GOP’s chances in the Sunshine State.”

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If the Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) recommendation to reschedule cannabis on the federal Controlled Substances Act becomes a reality, it could make an impact on President Joe Biden’s favorability ahead of the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

A new survey, conducted by Lake Research Partners, revealed a number of key findings surrounding registered voters and attitudes surrounding cannabis, namely that Biden could boost his favorability by 11% among younger voters should cannabis move from Schedule I to Schedule III.

To gather the data, researchers engaged 900 likely voters through phone calls and text-to-online outreach. The survey includes oversamples of younger voters and voters in presidential battleground states (100 voters aged 18-25 and 200 voters in battleground states, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin).

A Look at Voter Opinions on Cannabis Rescheduling

The survey looked more generally at the support behind rescheduling cannabis, with 58% of participants showing support and 19% opposed. Researchers said that support also crossed most demographic lines, and no more than one-third of voters in any major subgroup was opposed to rescheduling. Young voters, those aged 18-25, showed the strongest levels of support for rescheduling at 65%, with nearly half indicating they felt strongly about the issue. Support was strong across age demographics, with seniors showing support by a double-digit margin.

Democrats and independents also showed strong support (74% to 7% and 55% to 15%, respectively), while Republicans were more divided (41% to 31%) despite showing more support overall. The survey also found that younger Republicans and Republican women were disproportionately more supportive.

Two-thirds (66%) of voters also said that Biden should accept the recommendation, with young voters 18-25 showing overwhelming support (84% with 77% indicating they felt strongly about their answer). 

Researchers also found that attacking rescheduling didn’t sway voters, despite the fact that “no punches were pulled” in articulating the opposing viewpoints. These include the rescheduling proposal being a “half measure,” comparing cannabis regulation unfavorably to regulating alcohol, the argument that it will provide “massive profits to pharmaceutical companies” while resulting in “hundreds of thousands of Americans behind bars for marijuana-related offenses).

After reviewing opposing arguments for rescheduling cannabis, 58% voters continued to support rescheduling while 18% opposed. Support among young voters remained strong, with 66% behind rescheduling including 50% with strong support.

A Potential Boost for Biden?

“By the end of the poll, impressions of Biden improve by a net double-digits — an 11-point swing overall, including a double-digit (+11-point) swing among younger voters,” the survey notes. 

“In conclusion, rescheduling cannabis is not only the right move from a policy perspective, it is also politically helpful,” the survey concludes. “Nowhere is this more true than for younger voters—one of the most cross-pressured groups of voters, and also the most sanguine about rescheduling.”

Concrete talks of rescheduling cannabis first began in Oct. 2022, when Biden made a statement asking the secretary of HHS and the attorney general to review the scheduling of cannabis under federal law. In Aug. 2023, the HHS submitted its recommendation to the DEA to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recently said they support reclassifying cannabis as a Schedule III substance, which would make medical cannabis and the research supporting it federally legal but still heavily regulated.

The DEA has final authority to schedule, reschedule or deschedule a drug under the DEA and is currently conducting its review. However, there is currently no specific timeframe on when the DEA will make its decision.

Researchers also note that the findings of the survey align with a recent Gallup poll, which found that support for legal cannabis hit a record high of 70% among all adults in the U.S. Namely, they highlight that the poll found the highest levels of support in the youngest age cohort, with 78% of the 18-34 age group supporting legalization.

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The official voting day for Ohioans is Nov. 7, but early voting has already begun on Oct. 11. This is a significant year for cannabis because a cannabis legalization measure, which is labeled as Issue 2, is appearing on the ballot. However, some legislators are not thrilled with the idea that cannabis legalization could be approved, and announced plans to possibly repeal the law if it does get passed.

Senate President Matt Huffman spoke on the Senate floor in opposition of SR-216, stating that it will be “coming right back before this body” and will likely receive changes. “We’re going to have a mental health crisis on our hands,” Huffman said, if voters approve Issue 2. “We are going to pay for this for years and years and years, and it’s only going to get worse.” He added that he will push to review and repeal parts of the bill if it gets passed.

“If Issue 2 passes, there will be more teenagers in the state of Ohio committing suicide,” Huffman said. “And our reaction to that will not be, ‘Let’s make marijuana illegal,’ because by that time, more people will be making lots of money. It will be, ‘Maybe we should hire drug counselors, get into the schools, talk about kids not taking drugs.’ But by then it will be too late. It’ll be even more part of our culture. And no, I’m not a scientist, but I’m a person who can look at facts and listen to scientists and know that that’s true.”

Just as early voting began last week, Republican Sen. Mark Romanchuk and Rep. Terry Johnson, along with 14 other cosponsors, introduced Senate Resolution 216, claiming all of the potential harms that legalization will bring if voters choose to vote and approve Issue 2.

“…The proposed statute authored by the commercial marijuana industry does not serve the best interests of the people of Ohio, will bring unacceptable threats and risks to the health of all Ohioans, especially children, will create dangers in the workplace and unacceptable challenges and costs to employers, will make Ohio’s roads more dangerous, will impose significant new, unfunded costs to Ohio’s public social services, and serves only to advance the financial interests of the commercial marijuana industry and its investors…,” the bill text stated.

Many of the points of concern in the bill have long been used by anti-cannabis supporters, such as calling cannabis a gateway drug that leads four of our 10 people to try other drugs, and that cannabis use leads to opioid use disorder. While it claims that drug overdoses are the “leading cause of injury and death” in the state, with an estimated 33,000 Ohioans having died due to drug overdoses between 2011-2020, state records for COVID-19 deaths are recorded at over 42,000. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the top 10 leading causes of death in 2017 for Ohioans was heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, flu/pneumonia, kidney disease, and septicemia.

The resolution also included claims that regular cannabis use “can irreversibly reduce intelligence, memory, and learning ability,” along with claims that underage cannabis use causes risks of academic performance, IQ, and behavior, and that cannabis in adolescence leads to risks of “psychosis, a severe mental disorder characterized by distorted thinking and loss of touch with reality, as well as depression and suicide.”

They conclude the bill text by stating that they urge voters to reject Issue 2 to “preserve and protect our state’s high quality of life, the health and safety of our citizens, the strength and prosperity of our communities, our strong economic growth, our favorable environment for business success, and opportunity for all citizens and the future for our young people…”

The campaign group submitted nearly 130,000 signatures to get Issue 2 onto the ballot, after first coming up short of the necessary 124,046. “It looks like we came up a little short in this first phase, but now we have 10 days to find just 679 voters to sign a supplemental petition—this is going to be easy, because a majority of Ohioans support our proposal to regulate and tax adult use marijuana,” said Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMA) spokesperson Tom Haren.

A recent poll from the CRMA, which is the same advocates group behind the initiative, found that three out of every five Ohioans plan to support the measure come November. A similar poll conducted in September 2020 showed that voters said they were “29% “strongly approving” and 34% “somewhat approving” (63% total) compared to this year’s results with “50% strongly approving” and “17% somewhat approving” (67% total).

Recent projections from Ohio State University show that the state could generate somewhere between $275 million to $403 million in recreational tax revenue by the fifth year of legalization.

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Advocates in Texas recently announced that they’ve collected enough signatures to add a decriminalization initiative to the ballot in Lubbock, located in the northwestern part of the state. According to 2022 census data, the city is home to 264,000 people, and is among the top 10 most populated cities in the state.

On Oct. 11, advocates announced that they have collected 8,800 signatures for the Freedom Act Lubbock to qualify for the ballot. This is far more than the required amount, which is set at 4,800 signatures.

According to Lubbock Compact Communications Chair, Adam Hernandez, it’s been a successful gathering campaign. “We are extremely proud of all of the volunteers on our team, and everyone else who is helping us collect signatures,” Hernandez said.

On Instagram, Freedom Act Lubbock posted about the success. “We could not have gotten this far without each and every one of those pictured and those not pictured, too. And, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize all of our followers for the countless reactions, shares, comments of support, conversations, and of course for your time in adding your signature to our petition or registering to vote- some for the first time ever! We are forever grateful that all of you helped us make this happen for good change in Lubbock. Thank you. The journey has been long, but absolutely worth it!”

With a few days of extra time, advocates plan to submit approximately 10,000 signatures in total before submitting them to the Lubbock City Council by Oct. 17, who will then choose to accept or reject it. Should the council reject the proposal, it can be placed on the May 2024 ballot and voters will decide if decriminalization should be implemented.

Ground Game Texas, an advocacy group that has helped other Texas cities implement decriminalization laws, put together an Impact Report for Lubbock. It states that while 8% of Lubbock residents are Black, and 37% are Latinos, 29% of cannabis arrests consisted of Black residents, and 49% were Latinos. The data presented in the report also showed that 52.2% of cannabis arrests consisted of people up to 25 years of age, and 14.7% of all arrests targeted youth 17 and younger.

“Many of these arrests result in misdemeanor charges. Although they are classified as lesser offenses, the outcomes of misdemeanor charges can drastically alter life trajectories by negatively impacting opportunities in employment, housing, and education,” the report stated. “Testimonies, such as those shared by Lubbock residents, highlight the enduring community harm caused by these enforcement policies. Emerging research demonstrates the benefits of non-prosecution of nonviolent misdemeanors.”

As a result, the report calls for immediate change. “These findings should require Lubbock to reevaluate its marijuana enforcement priorities and implement a more common sense, equitable, and just enforcement program for all residents,” it stated.

According to the Texas Tribune, Hernandez argued that there are many benefits to decriminalizing cannabis. “Our senior populations use it for chronic pain, veterans use it for post-traumatic stress, people who have cancer use it as they go through chemo,” said Hernandez. “There’s all sorts of uses for it. If people could educate themselves on that, they may find they have friends and family who may be using it for something.”

A Texas ACLU legal expert, Charelle Lett, told the news outlet that there is a strong chance that Lubbock’s ordinance will pass. “As long as the ordinance isn’t prohibited by state or federal law, which to my knowledge, there isn’t a prohibition on decriminalizing marijuana in Texas so far, then they may have a good chance of getting this to pass,” Lett said. “A lot of the time, people in high places forget to listen to the community they are so-called serving. Nobody knows what a community needs better than the community itself.”

In other places in Texas, such as Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen, and San Marcos, voters approved a decriminalization measure in November 2022. In many of these areas, the ballot initiatives would prevent law enforcement from making arrests for people caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis, and would also not allow them to conduct searches because of cannabis odors.

In Denton though, city manager Sara Hensley told the NBC DFW news outlet that decriminalization would be challenging to put into place. “I recognize the voters have spoken and I understand that, but we don’t have the authority to implement those because of state law and the conflicts,” Hensley said. Apparently, both Texas cities as well as law enforcement departments are “prohibited from adopting a policy that does not fully enforce state and federal laws relating to drugs” and “the city manager and chief of police cannot direct otherwise.” “I do not have the authority to direct the police chief to not enforce the law,” Hensley added.

However in June, the Denton City Council voted against adopting the ordinance that would have implemented these cannabis decriminalization efforts.

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Wyoming advocates are more motivated than ever to get a medical cannabis bill on the 2024 ballot, especially because of miscommunication in required signature counts from the Secretary of State’s office.

Advocates reported that inaccurate information was provided by the Secretary of State Chuck Gray’s office regarding how many signatures were actually needed for their initiatives to qualify for the 2024 ballot. According to the Casper Star Tribune, advocates believed they did not collect enough signatures that were necessary to submit the initiatives for ballot consideration based on the information they received from the office. They didn’t submit the signatures they already had based on that advice, but they actually had enough signatures to qualify.

The combined efforts of Compassionate Options Wyoming, Wyoming NORML, and the Wyoming Libertarian Party, all considered pursuing “political and legal options” due to the inaccurate guidance.

Two initiatives were initially going to be presented for qualification, including one which decriminalized possession for small amounts of cannabis, and another that legalized medical cannabis. Advocates initially announced they were unable to collect enough signatures earlier this year in March.

In late September, the office admitted its fault in recommending that the advocates needed 41,776 signatures, when they only needed 29,730 signatures. “…We are a whole new election team, and we have undertaken a comprehensive review of the initiative process in recent months, primarily due to an initiative currently filed with our office,” the office stated in an email, according to the Pinedale Roundup.

Wyoming NORML executive director Bennett Sondeno responded quickly to the statement, challenging the office’s process. “The people of Wyoming have the constitutional right to petition their government. The cannabis petitions should have been treated the same as the party affiliation initiative,” Sondeno said. “Secretary Gray and his ‘new’ team should have provided the same deference and professionalism to the cannabis petition. Why did they not undertake a ‘comprehensive review of the initiative process’ while there was a pending initiative on the table? Their behavior deprived Wyomingites of their rights,” said.

Historically, efforts for cannabis bills in Wyoming have been met with little support. Wyoming NORML attempted to get a medical cannabis initiative onto the ballot in 2016, but advocates only managed to collect 13,000 signatures, according to NORML Executive Director Bennett Sondeno. “It was pretty bleak,” he explained. Another attempt was made when collecting signatures in January 2022 for the 2022 ballot, but were unable to collect enough signatures back then as well.

The silver lining of the situation is that advocates did collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot once, and they can do it again. “Either way, this fight is not over. Patients, veterans and Wyoming families succeeded at collecting the signatures. This measure will be law no matter how hard they try to refuse our rights,” advocate Marshall Burt said.

In order for the two cannabis initiatives to still be on the ballot for 2024, it would require them to re-collect signatures from scratch before the legislative session begins. Sondeno called this “unrealistic,” and that it’s not enough time, and more difficult to collect signatures once winter has begun. Additionally, he estimated that it would cost advocacy groups $350,000 to collect enough signatures.

Both Sondeno and Oquirrh Mountain Strategies campaign consultant, Apollo Pazell, are hoping to see if they can have the deadline extended. “It was basically the entire process that was really convoluted and confused,” said Pazell. “I think this will be the first time that I’m saying this, but I think it’s something that legislators should look at.”

In Wyoming, ballot initiatives require a 15% signature count in two-thirds of the state’s counties, which according to the Casper Star Tribune, is the highest requirement in the country. Once advocates receive a petition form from the state, they have 18 months to collect enough signatures, which must be submitted before the start of the legislative session of the same year. In this case, before the legislative session begins in February 2024.

Cannabis bills have not made much headway in the Wyoming legislature in the past. House Bill 0106 was introduced in February 2022 with the intention of decriminalizing small amounts of cannabis but no further actions were taken to discuss or consider it.

Wyoming belongs to a small group of states that do not currently have legal medical cannabis, including Idaho, Kansas, and South Carolina. In addition to this, states such as Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas all have limited allowances for medical cannabis, but restrict its use to CBD only.

However, advocacy efforts are higher in some of these states, including Kentucky, whose governor has kept progress moving for medical cannabis accessibility. In March, Gov. Andy Beshear signed a medical cannabis bill and became the 38th state to legalize it, but it won’t take effect until January 2025.

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The GOP’s nominee to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) as Speaker of the House—one of the most powerful positions in the U.S. government—has opposed nearly every cannabis bill he’s encountered during the past 15 years in office.

Scalise dropped out of the House speaker race Thursday evening.

In a closed-door meeting to replace McCarthy as speaker Wednesday, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) was selected as the clear nominee. Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the next contender, lost the nomination in a vote 113 to 99. On Thursday however, Scalise appeared to be short on votes to become the next Speaker.

McCarthy was successfully dethroned as Speaker of the House Oct. 2, in a rare ouster led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). The Associated Press reports that the speaker ouster was a “first in U.S. history” and done with the efforts of a hard-right faction that splintered. 

Given that Congress faces a Nov. 17 spending bill deadline in order to prevent a government shutdown, the sense of urgency to select a new speaker is rising.

“First, I want to thank my House Republican colleagues for just designating me as the speaker, Scalise said upon hearing the news of his nomination. “Obviously, we still have work to do. We’re going to have to go upstairs on the House floor and resolve this and then get the House opened again. We have a lot of work to do, not just in the House for the people of this country, but we see how dangerous of a world it is and how things can change so quickly.”

The future of cannabis legislation at the federal level hinges on cooperation from House leadership.

Who Is Rep. Steve Scalise in Regards to Cannabis?

Cannabis reports are flagging Scalise as a potential roadblock for federal cannabis bills, if elected Speaker. NORML gave him an “F” grade, noting that he opposed nearly every cannabis bill he’s ever voted on—the sole exception being The Medical Marijuana Research Act or H.R. 5657 in 2022. One time in 2016, he voted against the Veterans Equal Access Amendment, and voted against two versions of the SAFE Banking Act a few years later.

While not perfect, at least with McCarthy, he voted twice in favor of federal cannabis banking legislation. 

The Dales Report agreed and called Scalise a “cannabis adversary,” and pointed out that the next Speaker could impact the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act. The good news is that if Scalise is elected speaker, and blocks the SAFER Banking Act, the bill can still become law.

When asked the question, “Do you support the legalization of marijuana at the federal level?” his spokesperson replied. “Congressman Scalise is a staunch conservative who likes to know what his constituents are thinking on issues,” Scalise spokesman T.J. Tatum wrote in an email to CQ Roll Call. “Scalise is opposed to the legalization of marijuana because, as noted by law enforcement officials, it is a gateway to more dangerous drugs, but he always appreciates learning the views of the people throughout his district.”

“Let me get this straight: Nancy Pelosi is blocking a bill to deliver unused Paycheck Protection Program funds to workers and small businesses,” Scalise tweeted on Nov. 20, 2020. “But she managed to find time for a vote on pot legislation this week.”

“What are Pelosi’s Democrats doing this week?” Scalise tweeted on March 31, 2022. “Nothing on inflation. Nothing on the border. Nothing on gas prices. Nothing on the supply chain. Nothing on crime. A marijuana bill. What a joke.”

Why The New Speaker Selection Matters

The Speaker acts as the de facto leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a major component of America’s system of checks and balances designed to keep any one body from gaining too much power.

In a 135-88 vote, Republicans rejected a proposed rule change introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) that would have required a GOP speaker contender to have 217 or more votes before advancing to the House floor.

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said in a tweet that unless Jordan drops out, he will still vote for him on the House floor—even if Scalise wins the nomination. Rep. Gaetz told reporters he would support Scalise on the floor, calling him an “upgrade” from McCarthy.

One-fourth of Republicans said in a poll that they approve of the decision to remove McCarthy as Speaker, and three in 10 Republicans said they believe it was a mistake, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

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A poll commissioned by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA)—the campaign supporting the ballot initiative—and conducted by FM3 Research surveyed likely November voters in mid-August, specifically asking about their stance on ushering in recreational cannabis laws for the Buckeye State.

The results found that roughly three out of five Ohio voters support the cannabis legalization measure set to appear on the November ballot, and nearly two-thirds of respondents said that they believe adult-use cannabis legalization in Ohio is “inevitable.”

Most Ohioans Support November’s Adult-Use Cannabis Measure

The survey consisted of 843 total interviews for Ohio voters likely to turn out for this November’s elections through telephone calls, email and text invitations. 

Nearly two-thirds of voters approved of the state’s medical cannabis system (63% total, with 29% “strongly approving” and 34% “somewhat approving”), a slight drop from September 2020’s 70% total. When asked, “Regardless of how you feel about this specific measure, do you think marijuana should be taxed, regulated, and legalized for adults in Ohio?” 67% agreed (50% strongly and 17% somewhat), once again a slight dip from 2022’s 71% and 2020’s 73%.

The survey also asked Ohioans, regardless of how they feel about adult-use cannabis personally, if they believe the legalization of cannabis in the state is “inevitable.” Sixty-three percent said yes.

The poll then looked at the specific measure on the upcoming ballot. 

A total of 59% of respondents said yes, they were planning to vote for the upcoming cannabis measure — albeit in varying capacities. Thirty-eight percent said “definitely yes,” 17% said “probably yes,” while 5% said “undecided, lean yes.”

About Ohio’s Adult-Use Cannabis Measure

This ballot measure would legalize possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis for adults over the age of 21, along with up to 15 grams of cannabis concentrates. Individuals could grow up to six plants for personal use, capping out at 12 plants per household. The measure would also impost a 10% sales tax on cannabis sales, with revenue divided to support social equity and jobs programs (36%), localities allowing adult-use cannabis enterprises to operate in the region (36%), education and substance misuse programs (25%) and administrative costs of implementing the system (3%).

The measure would also establish a Division of Cannabis Control under the state Department of Commerce, with the authority to “license, regulate, investigate, and penalize adult use cannabis operators, adult use testing laboratories, and individuals required to be licensed.”

Current medical cannabis businesses would also enjoy a headstart in the recreational market, as regulators would begin issuing adult-use licenses to qualified applicants who operate existing medical cannabis businesses within nine months of enactment. The division would also be required to issue 40 recreational cultivator licenses and 50 adult-use retailer licenses, with preference to applications participating under the cannabis social equity and jobs program.

Municipalities would also be allowed to opt out from allowing new recreational cannabis companies from operating in the area, though they could not block existing medical cannabis businesses from expanding to add co-located adult-use operations. Employers would also be allowed to maintain policies prohibiting workers from consuming recreational cannabis.

Consistent With Other Recent Polling

The results itself says that the results are “remarkably consistent” with other recent, publicly-released polls. 

One of the most recent polls, conducted by Fallon Research and published in August, found that 59% of voters said they would vote yes on the initiative. This poll also used colloquial ballot language when prompting answers, referencing the specific policy changes Ohioans could expect if they voted yes.

Another recent poll conducted by Suffolk university also found that 59% of voters support legalizing adult-use cannabis possession and sales.

A recent study shows that the adult-use market could also create potential for hefty boosts in tax revenue. The study conducted by Ohio State University suggests that the state could generate between $275 million and $403 million by the fifth year of operations in adult-use tax revenue, should voters move to legalize.

The most recent poll data can be found here.

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