If voters approve these measures, approximately half of all US residents will reside in a jurisdiction where the possession and use of cannabis are legal for adults.
“It remains clear from the limited data available that marijuana seizures and prosecutions remain the primary driver of drug war enforcement in the United States and that hundreds of thousands of Americans still continue to be arrested annually for these violations despite the reality that a majority of voters no longer believe that the adult-use of marijuana should be a crime.”
Voters’ support for legalization was strongest among African Americans (72 percent), Democrats (71 percent), those between the ages of 18 and 44 (70 percent), Hispanics (67 percent), and Independents (61 percent). Republicans (47 percent) and those over the age of 65 (45 percent) failed to express majority support legalization.
By taking cannabis products off street corners and placing them behind the counter, lawmakers can provide consumers with a safer experience and greatly reduce their risk of being inadvertently exposed to contaminated products.
“The use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes has been legal in certain jurisdictions of the United States for several decades. It is stunning that the medical establishment largely remains unwilling to acknowledge this reality and that so many health professionals in training continue to profess willful ignorance about this important topic.”
“A robust, above-ground retail marijuana market is necessary in order to disrupt the unregulated marketplace and to assure that consumers have adequate access to lab-tested, high quality products at competitive prices.”
“Voters’ views on the subject of legalizing and regulating cannabis have evolved significantly over the past decades; however, the views of those seeking to represent them in Congress have not kept pace with this seismic shift in public opinion. Candidates’ failure to advocate for marijuana policy reform is a missed opportunity, as this is a unique issue that unites voters irrespective of party affiliation.”
The report estimates, “States with roughly 20 to 40 legal regulated stores per 100,000 residents, in general, have captured 80 percent to 90 percent of all cannabis sales in the legal market.”