Far too often, lawmakers choose to either ignore this constituency or treat them with outright hostility.<\/p>\n
By Paul Armentano | March 19, 2025<\/p>\n
Seventy percent of Americans, including majorities of both Democratic and Republican voters, say that marijuana should be legal. Yet far too often, lawmakers choose to either ignore this constituency or treat them with outright hostility.<\/p>\n
In Republican-led states like Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas, elected officials are making it clear that election outcomes legalizing marijuana no longer matter to them. And in Democratic-led states like Maryland, Michigan, and New Jersey, lawmakers are seeking to undermine existing legalization markets by drastically hiking marijuana-related taxes.<\/p>\n
In all cases, elected officials are treating cannabis consumers as targets, not constituents.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers in South Dakota sought to repeal the state\u2019s medical cannabis access law, despite 70 percent of voters having approved it. The effort failed, but only by a single vote.<\/p>\n
In Nebraska, lawmakers are also considering legislation to roll back the state\u2019s voter-approved medical marijuana law \u2014 and Republican Attorney General Mike Hilgers has urged lawmakers to ignore the election results altogether.<\/p>\n
In Ohio, GOP lawmakers in the Senate recently approved legislation to rescind many of the legalization provisions approved by 57 percent of voters in 2023. Changes advanced by lawmakers include limiting home-cultivation rights and creating new crimes for adults who share cannabis with one another or purchase legal cannabis products from out of state.<\/p>\n
In Texas, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued several cities, including Dallas, for implementing voter-approved ordinances decriminalizing marijuana possession. As a result, local lawmakers in various cities \u2014 including Lockhart and Bastrop \u2014 are ignoring voters\u2019 decisions to amend their municipal marijuana policies rather than face costly litigation.<\/p>\n
In Idaho, Republican Governor Brad Little signed mandatory minimum penalties into law for low-level marijuana possession. And GOP lawmakers have approved a constitutional amendment forbidding voters from weighing in on any future ballot measure to legalize marijuana.<\/p>\n
And in Florida, where a 2024 marijuana legalization narrowly failed \u2014 it received majority support but less than the 60 percent threshold required under the state law \u2014 Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge to make it harder for future petitions to qualify for the ballot.<\/p>\n
These concerted attacks are an explicit reminder that the war on cannabis and its consumers remains ongoing \u2014 and in some cases is even escalating.<\/p>\n
Blue states haven\u2019t made moves to roll back legalization or reverse election results. But several Democratic governors are looking to balance their budget deficits on the backs of consumers.<\/p>\n
For instance, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has proposed raising the state\u2019s marijuana-related taxes nearly five-fold. A Maryland budget proposal seeks to nearly double the special sales tax consumers pay on retail marijuana purchases. And in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proposed an additional 32 percent wholesale tax on cannabis.<\/p>\n
If enacted, these proposed increases will not only lighten consumers\u2019 wallets, but they will also hurt state-licensed businesses. As lawmakers push marijuana prices artificially higher, many consumers will exit the legal market and begin patronizing the unregulated marketplace, undermining one of the primary goals of legalization.<\/p>\n
Regardless of whether you live in a red or blue state, or in a jurisdiction where cannabis is legal or illicit, it\u2019s time for legalization advocates to stand up and assert themselves. Cannabis consumers are neither criminals nor ATMs. They\u2019re hard-working responsible adults. And they vote.<\/p>\n
Now is not the time to become complacent or presume that marijuana will somehow legalize itself. Change only occurs when advocates agitate for it \u2014 and when elected officials fear political consequences for failing to abide by voters\u2019 demands.<\/p>\n
Those who support legalizing marijuana aren\u2019t part of the ideological fringe. They\u2019re the majority. It\u2019s time for advocates to act like it \u2014 and for lawmakers to treat cannabis consumers with the respect they deserve.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of NORML.ORG <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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