The Bengal Bite 🐯 | The Rising Tide of Legalization | November 6, 2020
A green wave crashed over the U.S. this past Tuesday as voters across the country said yes to cannabis legalization. Five states passed cannabis adult-use and medical legalization initiatives, opening up possibilities of cannabis consumption from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. More than a third of Americans now live in a state where recreational cannabis use is legal. “The rising tide of legalization” continues to lift the industry and move it forward.
The Bengal Capital Team
1 in 3 Americans now lives in a state where recreational marijuana is legal
“More than 1 in 3 Americans will live in states where marijuana is legal for adults to use. New Jersey and Arizona, with 8.9 million and 7.3 million residents, respectively, are the biggest wins for advocates this year. Legalization in New Jersey is expected to create a domino effect for legalization in other large East Coast states, including Pennsylvania and New York.” Read more on the impact of Tuesday night’s historic green wave election in Politico.
The future of marijuana under Biden and a GOP Senate
As votes continue to be tallied, questions of how final election results will affect the cannabis industry remain. On balance, the lack of unified Democratic control may hinder many major reforms, but opportunities remain including passage of the SAFE Banking Act. While some results are still in question, one thing is clear from Election Night - all cannabis ballot measures passed by historic margins. American voters of all parties overwhelmingly support cannabis legalization. Read more from Kris Krane, co-founder of 4Front Ventures, in Forbes.
Mississippi voters approve robust medical marijuana initiative over lawmakers' restrictive alternate
An activist-led initiative to legalize medical cannabis in Mississippi faced a series of unique challenges ahead of the election but ultimately passed. Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, reflected on the results, “Just like we saw in the 2018 victory in Utah, Mississippi voters have proven that medical marijuana legalization is politically viable in even the most conservative states in the country.” Read more on medicinal cannabis legalization in Mississippi in Marijuana Moment.
New York Governor says time is 'ripe' for marijuana legalization, and it'll pass 'this year'
With New Jersey’s Election Night approval of cannabis, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting ready for his own legalization push. He said, “I think this year it is ripe because the state is going to be desperate for funding” amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read more on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s thoughts on legalization in Marijuana Moment.