As cannabis policy reform continues to sweep the country, groups in several states are launching grassroots efforts to put decriminalization and legalization measures in front of voters in the November 2022 election.
This week, we’ve rounded up headlines on campaigns celebrating important milestones in the ballot initiative process—and those that have run into setbacks—as well as news on licensing lottery winners in Illinois, lawsuits to note in California and Oklahoma, and more.
On the ballot initiative front, Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan has conditionally approved two cannabis-related measures for the state’s 2022 ballot, allowing the local organizations supporting the initiatives to begin gathering signatures. One measure would legalize medical cannabis, while the other would decriminalize cannabis for personal use. Read more
Idaho cannabis advocates are also trying to get a medical cannabis legalization initiative and a decriminalization measure before voters next year in what Idaho Citizens for Coalition for Cannabis Spokesperson Russ Belville calls “the most hostile state” toward policy reform. Both initiatives must gather 64,946 signatures by May 1, 2022, to make the ballot. Read more
A push to get an adult-use legalization proposal before lawmakers in Ohio could be in trouble after Attorney General Dave Yost ruled that a summary of the initiative petition was not a “fair and truthful statement of the proposed law.” Read more
Elsewhere, Illinois’ adult-use cannabis sales hit nearly $128 million in July, a $12.3 million increase from June. Read more
As the Illinois market continues to grow, the state held the second of three licensing lotteries this week to issue 55 more cannabis dispensary licenses to social equity applicants. Read more
Illinois also doled out 69 licenses this week for adult-use cannabis craft growers, infusers and transporters. Read more
In Montana, the state’s Department of Revenue announced proposed rule changes on advertising for licensed medical cannabis businesses. Read more
Medical cannabis rule changes are also top of mind in South Dakota, where lawmakers are considering changes to Initiated Measure 26, the voter-approved measure that legalized medical cannabis in the state. Read more
In Louisiana, a cannabis decriminalization bill took effect Aug. 1, removing the threat of jail time and reducing the maximum penalty to a $100 fine for first-time offenders who possess up to 14 grams of cannabis. Read more
We also reported on two lawsuits this week, including a California-based cannabis company’s suit against Tennessee Titans’ Julio Jones and his former Atlanta Falcons teammate, Roddy White, who are accused of illegally harvesting and selling millions of dollars’ worth of cannabis in California. Read more
In Oklahoma, the state’s Medical Marijuana Authority is being sued over an alleged lack of transparency in adopting new emergency regulations for the industry. Read more
