FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 1, 2018

Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org

Representatives from the Marijuana Policy Project — which played a leading role in organizing two of the initiative efforts and a supporting role in the others — will be available for interviews leading up to Election Day, throughout election night, and in the days that follow

WASHINGTON — Voters in four states could pass major state-level marijuana policy reform measures on Tuesday. Local marijuana policy measures are also on ballots in two additional states.

• In two states, voters will decide whether to make marijuana legal for adult use. In Michigan, Proposal 1 would legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol. In North Dakota, Measure 3 would legalize marijuana for adults and expunge past marijuana-related convictions.
  
  
• In the other two states, Missouri and voters will decide whether to establish comprehensive medical marijuana programs. In Missouri, three competing medical marijuana measures appear on the ballot, with Amendment 2 recently emerging as the front-runner after receiving multiple key newspaper endorsements. In Utah, Proposition 2 will be decided by voters, but the measure’s backers reached an agreement last month with opponent organizations, legislative leaders, and the governor to support an alternative medical cannabis law that will be enacted in an upcoming special session, regardless of the outcome of the election.
  
  
• At the local level, voters in six Ohio municipalities will consider marijuana decriminalization measures, and voters in more than a dozen Wisconsin localities will consider a variety of non-binding advisory measures regarding medical and adult use. Representatives from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) will be available for interviews leading up to Election Day, throughout election night, and in the days that follow. MPP is the nation’s largest marijuana policy organization, and it played a leading role in organizing the initiative efforts in Michigan and Utah.

 
Statement from MPP Deputy Director Matthew Schweich:

“Two out of three Americans now support making marijuana legal, and it’s not just on the coasts. Reform efforts have been advancing across the Midwest in recent years, and they are picking up steam this election cycle. The slate of marijuana-related measures on state ballots this year represents a big step forward for the marijuana policy reform movement, regardless of the outcome on Election Day. They have inspired a critical public dialogue about marijuana, the problems associated with the current prohibition model, and the benefits of replacing it with a more sensible approach. The more people hear and learn about this issue, the more support grows. The country is moving forward on marijuana policy — the only question is how big of a step it will take on Tuesday.”

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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.

Visit www.mpp.org for more information.