Although the COVID-19 pandemic has put a halt to many state legislative or citizen-driven initiative efforts to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, the November elections will be an opportunity to vote on marijuana legislation. The United States House of Representatives also is expected to vote on legislation that would remove marijuana from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2019 would essentially decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, but it seems unlikely that the bill will be able to advance through the Senate given its current makeup. Meanwhile, in Arizona, the Smart and Safe Arizona Act would legalize the possession and recreational use of marijuana by adults age 21 and over, while in Mississippi, Initiative Measure No. 65 and Alternative Initiative Measure No. 65A represent two versions of a medical marijuana amendment to the Mississippi Constitution. Other initiatives, like Montana’s Statutory Initiative No. 190 and Constitutional Initiative No. 118 would legalize the possession and recreational use of marijuana for adults age 21 and over, and in Nebraska, the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Constitution Amendment would amend the Nebraska Constitution to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes and would authorize the Nebraska Legislature to develop laws, rule, and regulations to govern the medical marijuana program.
