2024 Election Results – A Mixed Bag for Cannabis

Nov 6, 2024 Chicago, IL

There was a big presidential election last night, and everyone is likely digesting those results— from the presidency to who will control each chamber of Congress, along with other state down-ballot measures. The Greenspoon Marder Cannabis Group is, unsurprisingly, focusing on how the cannabis ballot measures fared. As we wrote about here, four states—Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota—had cannabis legalization on the ballot, and now the results are in.

The good news first. With nearly all the votes in, Nebraska overwhelmingly voted in favor of legalizing medical marijuana and establishing a Medical Cannabis Commission.

Conversely, the citizens of North and South Dakota both rejected adult-use cannabis in their respective states. Voters in North Dakota had previously rejected similar measures, with 59.45% opposing in 2018 and 54.94% opposing in 2022. The margin appears to be even closer in 2024, with approximately 52.5% opposing the legalization measure. South Dakota had a wider gap, with approximately 56.1% of voters opposing the measure this year.

Then there is Florida, where Amendment 3 would have legalized adult-use cannabis for those 21 and older. This legalization campaign was the biggest point of focus for the industry and the subject of a counter-campaign by Governor Ron DeSantis, who opposed the amendment. To pass, Amendment 3 required 60% of the vote, a very high bar in any election on nearly any subject. Unfortunately, it fell short, garnering 55.9% of the vote in favor of legalization (a clear and strong majority) and 44.1% against.

We applaud Nebraska for joining the majority of states in legalizing medical cannabis, as the industry continues to strive for reform at the federal level, including rescheduling and legislation from Congress.

About Greenspoon Marder

Greenspoon Marder LLP is a full-service law firm with over 225 attorneys and more than 20 office locations across the United States. With operations from Miami to New York and from Denver to Los Angeles, our firm attracts some of the nation’s top talent in key markets and innovation hubs. Our core practice areas include Real Estate, Litigation, and Transactional Services, complemented by the capabilities of a full-service firm. Greenspoon Marder has maintained a spot on The American Lawyer’s Am Law 200 as one of the top law firms in the U.S. since 2015, and our goal is to provide exceptional client service by developing a thorough understanding of each client’s business needs and objectives in order to provide strategic, cost-effective solutions.

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2024 Election Results – A Mixed Bag for Cannabis

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