In 2016, nine U.S. states proposed cannabis reform legislation for medical marijuana and non-medical adult use.[1][2][3] As of 2016[update], the state laws are still at odds with the Federal status of cannabis, which is classified as a Schedule I narcotic. The Los Angeles Times stated that if all the measures passed, nine states encompassing a quarter of the U.S. population would have legalized recreational use, and "The presence of legalization measures on the ballot in Arkansas and North Dakota — both staunchly conservative states — illustrate the power of the trend toward legalization" and Federal reforms on banking are "increasingly looking inevitable".[4]
| List of 2016 United States cannabis reform proposals | |
|---|---|
2015 ← → 2017 | |
 Legality of cannabis in the United States (2023) | |
| Status | Legal for recreational use Legal for medical use Illegal |
| State | Short description | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Medical | Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act (Issue 6, a constitutional amendment; and Issue 7, a voter initiative, both appear on the ballot) |
| Arizona | Legalization | Proposition 205 |
| California | Legalization | Adult Use of Marijuana Act |
| Florida | Medical | Amendment 2 |
| Maine | Legalization | Question 1 |
| Massachusetts | Legalization | Massachusetts Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana Initiative |
| Montana | Medical | Montana I-182 (amends existing 2004 law) |
| Nevada | Legalization | Question 2 |
| North Dakota | Medical | Measure 5 |
References
edit- ^ "Marijuana Lights Up State Ballots", The New York Times, October 19, 2016, archived from the original on January 5, 2017, retrieved March 2, 2017
- ^ Thomas Fuller (October 24, 2016), "Election May Be a Turning Point for Legal Marijuana", The New York Times, archived from the original on March 4, 2017, retrieved March 2, 2017
- ^ Marijuana on the ballot, Ballotpedia, archived from the original on 2016-09-13, retrieved 2016-10-26
- ^ Alex Halperin (October 29, 2016), "After the election, marijuana could be legal for recreational or medical use in 29 states", The Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on November 4, 2016, retrieved November 3, 2016
External links
edit- Congressional Affairs, September 2016 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)