Cannabis made a star appearance on many ballots throughout the country in this month’s election. Across the country, new legalization policies, new retail licenses, environmental grants, and even the decriminalization of psychedelic drugs were a win for many states.
Keep reading to learn the one-hitter successes and defeats of the most recent United States election.
With the most recent additions of Maryland & Missouri, there are 21 states that have legalized adult use recreational cannabis within the past decade - yet the plant still remains illegal under federal law.
On December 8th of this year, Missouri will open up as a recreational state for adults 21+. Additionally on this date, already existing medical licensed growers can apply for licenses to grow, manufacture, and distribute recreationally.
Effective July 1st, 2023, Maryland legalizes the recreational possession and use of cannabis for adults 21+. While regulations and policies for this legalization are currently being shaped by the legislature, any resident of the state possessing over 1.5 ounces of cannabis between January 1st - July 30th 2023 will result in a $100 fine.
Oklahoma sets out toward the next step of legal recreational cannabis. As one of the nation’s most robust medical programs (with about 2,500 licensed dispensaries and nearly 10% of residents with state issued medical cards), Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt set a March election after there was a delay in counting initiative signatures that prevented this measure from appearing on the most recent election’s ballot.
Although some states didn’t grab the win for cannabis legalization, such as Arkansas, North and South Dakota, these states (5 in which totaled the number with cannabis on the ballot) ranked in about $24 million in marijuana legalization campaigns. In just Arkansas & Missouri alone, 85% of those contributions came from medical marijuana licensees.
Colorado became the second state in the country to legalize psychedelics (including psilocybin & dimethyltryptamine) for medicinal research and value. Although this won’t effective until 2024, this movement has already inspired other states to propose similar initiatives during the next election. “I think that we are at the beginning of a very hopeful period of expanding options for dealing with mental health. That’s what this is all about,” says Graham Boyd, executive director of the drug policy group New Approach.
Additionally, states like California resulted in a massive upvote in licensed cannabis retailers, which will expand the number of retail licenses within the state and ultimately help expand it’s already jam-packed legal market.
At Geomat, we are proud of the progress the power of legal cannabis continues to prevail around the United States. We support the legalization of medical and adult use cannabis and how it positively impacts these states and communities.
We are looking forward to watching these advancements in what we are seeing today as the Green Movement, dedicated to helping these new legal states make a real world impact.
No matter if you’re medical or recreational state, contact us today to learn more about Geomat’s Patented Water Recovery Systems and how we can assist your cannabis facility in reaching environmental compliance.