Only one of the five states considering legalization measures looks to be a clear winner.
The general election next week may turn out to be a very mixed bag for cannabis legalization advocates, based on polling numbers in the five states that have the issue on the ballot.
States considering legalization via ballot questions include Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota. While history has shown that most such ballot measures have succeeded, this year may buck such political trends.
Arkansas
The latest polling out of Arkansas shows a tightening race from earlier this year.
In September, support for Issue 4 – the recreational cannabis legalization question – was at almost 60%, but as of late October, that had plummeted to just over 50%, according to a Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College survey.
That study found that, as of Oct. 17-18, roughly 50.5% of Arkansas voters supported Issue 4, while 43% were opposed and 6.5% were undecided.
Maryland
In Maryland, the trend has gone the opposite direction, with polling finding either a steady increase or at least stable support for Question 4, the cannabis legalization initiative.
According to a poll last month by The Baltimore Sun and the University of Baltimore, 63% of voters will vote yes for legal cannabis, while just 25% are opposed and 12% are undecided. That’s up from another September poll that found support at 59%.
A different survey by The Washington Post reported 73% support for the measure that same month.
Missouri
Polls in Missouri have painted a conflicting picture about legalizing adult-use cannabis. At the same time, two voter surveys found support for Amendment 3 below 50%, and a third found that backing was 62%.
According to a poll by Emerson College and The Hill conducted in late October, just 48% of voters support cannabis legalization, 35% oppose the measure, and 17% are undecided.
In September, another survey by Remington Research Group and the Missouri Scout Newsletter found voter support for the amendment at just 43%, with 47% opposed and 10% undecided.
However, another September poll, by SurveyUSA, found 62% of voters backing the initiative, only 22% opposed, and 16% undecided.
North Dakota
Polling was almost nonexistent during the campaign for Statutory Measure 2, the cannabis legalization measure in North Dakota. But the little that has been done signals an uphill battle for marijuana advocates.
According to a September survey by The Dickinson Press, only 39% expressed support, while 18% reported not caring. The largest group, at 43%, was opposed.
South Dakota
Though South Dakota voters approved a recreational marijuana ballot measure in 2020 with 54% support, the courts threw out that victory and a second shot at cannabis legalization appears to be having a more challenging time than its predecessor.
Backers returned with Initiated Measure 27 this year to legalize personal adult use possession and cultivation, but it falls short of creating a regulated industry.
According to an Emerson College poll conducted in late October, just 40% of voters support the measure, while 51% are opposed, and 10% are undecided.
Disclaimer: https://www.greenmarketreport.com/election-outlook-mixed-for-cannabis/
Posted by: Times Of Hemp, TOH, #TOH, #TimesOfHemp https://timesofhemp.com/
