Cannabis policy reform efforts continue to make strides for the 2022 election season with activists in four states recently submitting signatures to qualify marijuana legalization measures for this year’s ballot. Campaigns in Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Dakota submitted paperwork to legalize adult-use cannabis, while advocates in Nebraska proffered petitions for a voter initiative the legalize the medicinal use of marijuana.
Cannabis Legalization: Oklahoma
On July 5, the group
announced that it had submitted more than 164,000 signatures to add State Question 802 to the November ballot. The measure will qualify for this year’s election if state officials verify that at least 94,911 signatures are verified as coming from registered voters in the state.The proposed initiative would permit adults 21 and older to purchase up to an ounce of cannabis and grow personal amounts of marijuana at home. The ballot measure would also establish a regulatory framework for commercial adult-use cannabis sales. If enough petition signatures for the proposal are verified, the governor will issue a proclamation certifying State Question 802 for the November ballot.
“The overwhelming number of signatures we have received demonstrates that our campaign has the momentum, and that Oklahomans are ready to vote to legalize recreational marijuana for adults,” Michelle Tilley, campaign director of the campaign,
. “We are grateful to the thousands of Oklahoma voters who signed State Question 820 and believe in responsible marijuana policy.”Cannabis Legalization: Arkansas
The group
also submitted signatures for a recreational cannabis legalization constitutional amendment ballot measure on July 8. The proposal would legalize possession and purchase of up to one ounce of cannabis from licensed retailers, with the state’s existing medical marijuana retailers also permitted to sell adult-use cannabis.The measure also includes provisions to increase the number of medical marijuana dispensaries and to issue licenses for up to 40 recreational marijuana retailers. The group submitted more than 190,000 signatures to the office of the Secretary of State, more than twice the number needed to qualify the initiative for the general election ballot.
“We’re confident in our signatures and our amendment,” Steve Lancaster, counsel for Responsible Growth Arkansas,
.Cannabis Legalization: North Dakota
Last week, the group
submitted 25,762 signatures on petitions for a recreational cannabis legalization ballot measure, well over the 15,582 valid signatures needed to qualify the proposal for this fall’s ballot. David Owen, the group’s campaign manager, said that the signature gathering effort revealed strong support for the proposal from voters across the state.“We’ve had signature gatherers in Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck, Minot, Williston. We were at Country Fest this weekend in New Salem. This was a campaign that was done in less than 100 days and we averaged 2,000 signatures a week the whole way through,”
. “We think that this really shows true, strong support across the state, the fact that we were able to get so many people to sign.”Cannabis Legalization: Nebraska
On July 7, the group
turned in over 90,000 signatures each for two complementary medical marijuana legalization measures, just over the approximately 87,000 signatures needed to qualify the initiatives for the general election ballot.“You know, we just got done submitting the stories of people right in our state, the stories of people who really, really need this and I had the incredible honor to get to hear those stories and come alongside of people who fought this issue with everything they had in them,”
, campaign manager for Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana.Activists in Maryland and South Dakota have already successfully qualified cannabis legalization measures for this year’s general election in November. In May, the group
turned in more than 385,000 signatures to qualify a marijuana legalization amendment ballot proposal for the ballot. State officials are currently in the process of verifying the signatures to determine if the effort was successful.