Polls Suggest Dicey Outcome For Adult-Use Cannabis In Midterms

Cannabis legalization remains a prevalent issue concerning Americans across the country. In the past few years, the Green Rush took over many states looking to cash in on the lucrative cannabis industry. Unfortunately, things are looking a bit iffy in five states ahead of the midterm vote, per MJBiz. 

A new string of polls in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota reveals that there might be less support for legalization than in previous years in other states. There is some support from Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri towards the ballot measures regarding legalizing cultivation and adult use. However, it’s looking slim for North and South Dakota. The support for legalization ballot measures is barely hitting the 40% mark. Readers should note that the polling data is restricted, and citizens will only know the actual results after Nov. 8, when the midterm voting takes place.

South Dakota will be the only state out of the five where votes will not count towards establishing a regulated market. However, citizens will be able to reveal their support towards possession and home cultivation. It contrasts with the 2020 elections, where 54% of voters supported a recreational market. Unfortunately, due to a technicality, the state’s highest court nixed the initiative a year later. It seems like voters were keener on seeing retail stores pop up than having their neighbour growing cannabis.

The support for these ballots in the states mentioned above doesn’t reflect the success of the 2020 election in different states. North Dakota voters aren’t on a promising path towards legalization, even if a regulated market is on the table, along with the legalization of personal use and possession.

A common thread among the data is that support began to dwindle in Arkansas, Maryland, and Missouri over the months. Though there were promising chances that voters would move towards legalization, the data reveals that the support decreased over the past few months. In Arkansas, for example, a poll in mid-September conducted by Talk Business & Politics – Hendrix College revealed that 59% supported the measure. By mid-October, the same company conducted a separate survey, and the numbers were down to 50.5%.