jct74
06-09-2016, 09:21 AM
Up to 12 States Could Vote on Marijuana This November -- Here They Are
Will residents in your state vote on a marijuana initiative in the upcoming election?
Sean Williams
Jun 5, 2016
Marijuana legalization has been growing like a weed for the past two decades, but 2016 could prove to be its most monumental year yet. Although marijuana has gained 24 state approvals for medicinal use, and four states have legalized its recreational use, we could see up to 12 separate approvals for the currently illicit drug in November.
This expansion is especially important because current President Barack Obama has suggested that the best way to get the attention of Congress is to continue legalizing the drug at the state level. Doing so would eventually force lawmakers to reconsider the federal government's current Schedule 1 stance on the drug.
In total, voters in three states are guaranteed to vote on marijuana this November. Of the remaining nine states, one is a seeming lock to get a marijuana initiative on the ballot, while the remaining eight are still in the process of collecting signatures.
Three states guaranteed to vote on marijuana in November
1. Nevada
Heading into 2016, there was only state guaranteed to vote on marijuana this year, and that was Nevada. Nevada's recreational-marijuana initiative, known as Question 2, was approved for the ballot in November 2015, and it aims to make the drug legal for adults aged 21 and up. If it's approved, an excise tax of 15% would be enacted to support the state's K-12 education budget.
2. Florida
Florida's medical-marijuana initiative, known as Amendment 2, or the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, wound up collecting nearly 693,000 signatures by late January, working its way onto the ballot once again. Medical marijuana use under the law would be limited to "debilitating" medical conditions as defined by a physician. This year's effort follows the narrow defeat of a similar medical-marijuana initiative in 2014 that saw the "yes" votes fall 2.4% short of the 60% required to pass.
3. Maine
Roughly a month ago, Maine also announced that enough signatures had been gathered to get a recreational-marijuana initiative on the ballot this November. If the initiative -- known as the Marijuana Legalization Act -- is approved, then a state excise tax of 10% would be imposed on recreational marijuana sales, and licenses within the state could be limited.
...
read more:
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/05/up-to-12-states-could-vote-on-marijuana-this-novem.aspx
Will residents in your state vote on a marijuana initiative in the upcoming election?
Sean Williams
Jun 5, 2016
Marijuana legalization has been growing like a weed for the past two decades, but 2016 could prove to be its most monumental year yet. Although marijuana has gained 24 state approvals for medicinal use, and four states have legalized its recreational use, we could see up to 12 separate approvals for the currently illicit drug in November.
This expansion is especially important because current President Barack Obama has suggested that the best way to get the attention of Congress is to continue legalizing the drug at the state level. Doing so would eventually force lawmakers to reconsider the federal government's current Schedule 1 stance on the drug.
In total, voters in three states are guaranteed to vote on marijuana this November. Of the remaining nine states, one is a seeming lock to get a marijuana initiative on the ballot, while the remaining eight are still in the process of collecting signatures.
Three states guaranteed to vote on marijuana in November
1. Nevada
Heading into 2016, there was only state guaranteed to vote on marijuana this year, and that was Nevada. Nevada's recreational-marijuana initiative, known as Question 2, was approved for the ballot in November 2015, and it aims to make the drug legal for adults aged 21 and up. If it's approved, an excise tax of 15% would be enacted to support the state's K-12 education budget.
2. Florida
Florida's medical-marijuana initiative, known as Amendment 2, or the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, wound up collecting nearly 693,000 signatures by late January, working its way onto the ballot once again. Medical marijuana use under the law would be limited to "debilitating" medical conditions as defined by a physician. This year's effort follows the narrow defeat of a similar medical-marijuana initiative in 2014 that saw the "yes" votes fall 2.4% short of the 60% required to pass.
3. Maine
Roughly a month ago, Maine also announced that enough signatures had been gathered to get a recreational-marijuana initiative on the ballot this November. If the initiative -- known as the Marijuana Legalization Act -- is approved, then a state excise tax of 10% would be imposed on recreational marijuana sales, and licenses within the state could be limited.
...
read more:
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/05/up-to-12-states-could-vote-on-marijuana-this-novem.aspx