New Zealand Voters Slowly Reject Nationwide Marijuana Referendum in Final Vote Rating

A Montana lawmaker says he is pushing his plan to undo the successful marijuana legalization initiative by states, showing voting measures strong passage in polls Tuesday.

About a week before Election Day, Rep. State Derek Skees (R) had called for a bill to repeal the legalization measure, Initiative 190. But after 57 per cent of voters cast ballots in favor of cannabis legalization, according to available results Thursday morning , Skees says hell interrupts the plan to turn it on for now.

The only branch of government in this state dumb enough to overturn the citizens’ initiative is [state] The Supreme Court, which has done it repeatedly, told Skees NBC Montana on Wednesday.

Seeking to overturn the marijuana vote through the legislature, he added, would only make sense if the result were narrower.

Say 51 percent, Ski said, then that bill would be a good idea, because then it would let us say, ‘Well, listen, the Montanas are a little confused about this. Not everyone was really for him. ‘

While Skees, an incumbent who ran unopposed in this week’s election, indicated he would not immediately pursue repeal, NBC Montana reported that lawmaker wants to keep the option open to potentially change the law passed by voters after a few cycles, so that Montanas can see what happens.

Skees did not immediately respond to an email from Marijuana Moment on Wednesday asking about the motivation behind his proposed bill. In Flathead County, home of the Skeess Legislature, more than 53 percent of voters approved marijuana legalization initiative.

The ski request for draft legislation was received by the Legislature on October 26, according to the legislature website. The repealing bill is being drafted, the site says, and no text is available. Its title, Repeal I90 [sic] the legalization of marijuana, is the only indicator of its purpose. (Title references for I90 and not for I-190 is apparently a typo.)

Several other cannabis-related bills have also been looking by lawmakers ahead of the next legislature session, which is set to begin in January. The descriptions are unclear so far, indicating only that future bills usually review marijuana laws.

It is common for legislatures to make adjustments to marijuana laws passed by voters after they are passed, but so far no state in modern times has overturned the legalization of marijuana after passing it.

Montana was one of five states that legalized marijuana in one form this week, along with Arizona, New Jersey, Mississippi and South Dakota.

In Montana, voters passed two measures to enact state laws on cannabis adult use: one that legalizes the production and sale of marijuana and a separate constitutional initiative that specifies that only adults 21 and older can participate. in shop.

Opponents of the legalization tried to overturn the proposal with a lawsuit shortly before Election Day, but the State Supreme Court rejected a request to block the initiative, saying the case would have to make its way through the lower court earlier. . The lawsuit argued that the move violates the state Constitution by embezzling funds for specific programs.

Under the proposal, half of the public revenue generated from marijuana sales will go to the environmental conservation program a provision that won key campaign approvals last month. The move will also send funds to veterans’ services, medicine treatment, healthcare and local governments, with the rest flowing into the general fund.

Plaintiffs in that case have indicated that they will pursue their challenge in a lower court.

Nationwide, voters passed every major cannabis and drug policy measure across the country this election, including the decriminalization of psychedelic plants in Washington, DC and the decriminalization of all drugs in Oregon, as well as a special measure in that state to legalize psilocybin therapy.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) told Marijuana the Moment Wednesday that the cannabis reform and drug policy victories will send a message to federal lawmakers to push for reform in the next Congress.

This is what voters want. They were not partisan issues, it is an opportunity for Republicans to be able to make progress in their red states and bring people together in a time of division, Blumenauer said. I think you will see people understand what just happened last night, and this is a continuation of the progress that has been going on since 1996. I think it will be much easier [to pass reform] in the new Congress, with Republicans and Democrats, both in the House and in the Senate.

Marijuana Moments is pursuing multiple votes for drug policy reform in this election. Check here for the latest.

Marijuana vote masses win inspire neighboring state officials to step up legalization steps

Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen