New Laws Pass In United States
With the election season coming to a close, and mid-term spending to support political ambition and movements has tapped $1,000,000,000. More than half of this money went into making television ads, and none of it includes the money that went into successfully passing several recreational marijuana initiatives.
Washington D.C. passed a recreational bill Initiative 71 with flying colors, while Oregon passed measure 91 with a much closer margin. Alaska also passed a commercial marijuana industry bill, which expands the already lenient stance towards marijuana. Unlike Oregon, which passed Measure 91 with only a little fewer than 55% of the vote, Amendment No. 2 in Florida required a 60% vote to pass the constitutional amendment and failed to make the change, with 57.6% of Floridians in favor of the change.
Referendums Sweep
Elections for and against marijuana were held at the state and local level, using the initiative and referendum process that has been staple of this grassroots movement. If such a thing existed, a national initiative would likely find its way onto the ballot, but this power is restricted at the national level in all democratic societies.
The European Union has a union level initiative process that is basically ceremonial and designed to make legislative bodies at least discuss a topic that might not be getting enough attention in the public mind. Thus far the European Weed Like to Talk has yet to raise the more than 1,000,000 signatures it needs to pass, but you can be sure Franco and Arjan from Green House Seed Co. are all over it.
Outlook is Still Good
Hopefully the movements will continue strong into the 2016 election cycle, and the battles waged in Florida and Alaska will not affect the chances of other states going recreational. California is expected to vote on a measure in 2016, and will be one of the largest legal pot markets in the world, with some expecting tax revenues in the hundreds of millions per year given California’s massive population and the success of its medical marijuana program.
Failed initiatives mean that funding and volunteers must remain in Florida and Alaska for another cycle, which might pull the necessary man power away from other states. Given the close margins of the races, it is likely that like Oregon, Florida and Alaska will pass their recreational measures with a second appearance on the ballot.
