The country may still be split between red and blue but there was overwhelming support for Green!
Voters in seven states from the NW to the SE approved ballot measures to legalize marijuana, allow medical cannabis, decriminalize drugs and even legalize psilocybin therapy. Marijuana Moment summarized the outcomes:
- Arizona voters passed a marijuana legalization initiative, four years after defeating a similar measure.
- Mississippi voters approved a robust medical cannabis ballot over a restrictive alternative placed on the ballot by lawmakers.
- Montana voters approved marijuana legalization.
- New Jersey voters approved a referendum to legalize cannabis, setting up a potential wave of East Coast states to follow.
- Oregon voters made their state the first in the nation to decriminalize possession of all drugs. The ballot measure they approved also uses existing marijuana tax revenue to fund expanded treatment services.
- Oregon voters also approved a first-of-its-kind measure to legalize psilocybin therapy.
- South Dakota voters approved separate initiatives to legalize marijuana and medical cannabis.
- Washington, D.C. voters approved a measure to decriminalize psychedelics in the nation's capital.
Even states without a ballot measure are showing momentum, with Governor Cuomo saying "I support the legalization of marijuana passage. I've worked very hard to pass it." Whether people need the calming effects of cannabis more than ever or they see the upside of 7%-37% excise tax to combat the economic challenges of a global pandemic, it is crystal clear this is Green Rush 2.0. The US projects $30 billion in cannabis sales 2024 (BDSA) and this may be low as evidenced by Massachusetts, which despite shuttering its program at the start of the pandemic just surpassed $1 billion in cumulative sales in under two years.
With cannabis increasingly legal, but still constrained by state borders the GEO plan to push nationwide is buoyed by these results. GEO certified, organic soils are already registered for resale in AZ, MT, NJ (along with many other states) and the team welcomes the opportunity to service a growing cannabis industry in "green" states from coast to coast!