Arkansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota Push for 2024 Ballot Measures

Cannabis law reform advocates in Arkansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota have submitted signatures to place citizen-initiated measures on the 2024 ballot, aiming to expand medical and adult-use marijuana access.

Arkansas:

Representatives from Arkansans for Patient Access collected over 111,400 signatures from registered voters, exceeding the state requirement of 90,704 validated signatures. Their proposed measure, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, seeks to amend the state’s existing medical cannabis law approved by voters in 2016. The amendment broadens the range of practitioners who can recommend medical cannabis and allows providers to recommend cannabis to any patient they believe will benefit from it. Additionally, the amendment permits adults to legally possess up to one ounce of cannabis if it is descheduled by the federal government.

Nebraska:

In Nebraska, activists submitted signatures supporting two ballot measures to establish medical cannabis access for eligible patients. The first measure protects patients who possess cannabis under a doctor’s supervision from criminal arrest and prosecution, while the second measure creates a commission to regulate the production and distribution of medicinal cannabis products. These measures are presented as separate questions to comply with a 2020 state Supreme Court ruling that ballot questions must not address more than one subject. Advocates turned in over 114,000 signatures for each proposal, surpassing the state requirement of 87,000 valid signatures.

North Dakota:

Advocates with New Economic Frontier in North Dakota submitted signatures for an adult-use legalization ballot measure. If certified, voters will decide whether to allow adults to possess, grow, and purchase marijuana for personal use. The measure would permit adults to cultivate up to six marijuana plants per household, with retail sales of cannabis products starting no later than October 1, 2025.

Additional States:

In June, the South Dakota Secretary of State’s Office confirmed that supporters of a proposed statewide ballot initiative legalizing the possession, use, and cultivation of marijuana turned in the requisite number of signatures to qualify it for the November ballot. This initiative, appearing as Measure 29, marks the third time South Dakota voters will address the issue.

This fall, Florida voters will decide on a constitutional amendment permitting existing medical cannabis facilities to engage in adult-use marijuana sales. As a constitutional amendment, it requires approval from 60 percent of Florida voters to become law. A June Fox News poll indicated that 66 percent of Florida voters support the initiative.