GOP Lawmakers Undermining Voters On Cannabis Legalization: They 'Do So At Their Peril,' Says NORML

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, state Senate leader Matt Huffman and other GOP leaders who are attempting to dismantle Ohio’s voter-approved cannabis initiative are not unique to Ohio - nor are the Republican threats to disregard the will of the voters when it comes to the topic of marijuana legalization.

Citing the highest level of support for cannabis legalization ever, that is two-thirds of Americans, across all political persuasions, gender, age, race, religion and educational levels, NORML’s deputy director Paul Armentano wonders why elected officials are not getting with the program.

In an Op-Ed that appeared in The Hill, Armentano noted that, when it comes to cannabis reform, Republican lawmakers "all too often ignore or seek to undermine their voters," and "do so at their peril."

What Are They Thinking?

Armentano pointed to the most obvious cases, after Ohio where lawmakers are scurrying to change the initiative before it goes into effect on December 7.

Florida’s Attorney General 

Republican Florida AG Ashley Moody (R) has been busily trying to keep a proposed marijuana legalization initiative from appearing on the 2024 ballot.

Despite the fact that advocates gathered over 1 million signatures from Florida voters in support of the measure and that polling shows majority support for legalization in the Sunshine State, AG Moody and her boss, Gov. Ron DeSantis, are pushing hard to keep the ballot from making it onto the ballot. 

South Dakota Gov Pulls The Rug Out

Who can forget the 2020 vote when 54% of South Dakotans voted in favor of a constitutional amendment legalizing the adult-use cannabis market?

Within weeks of the vote, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem spearheaded litigation challenging the vote, ultimately succeeding in nullifying the election’s outcome. Outrage ensued.

Mississippi Went Beyond The Pale

74% of the voting population decided in favor of a 2020 ballot measure to allow legal access to medical marijuana for authorized patients in Mississippi.

Six months later, a Mississippi Supreme Court ruling overturned the measure, as well as voters’ ability to conduct any future ballot initiatives. However, in 2022 after much wrangling, Mississippi became the 37th state to legalize medical marijuana with a very limited program.

Question: Do We Have A Healthy Democracy?

“Whether or not one personally supports or opposes cannabis legalization,” said Armentano, “these overtly undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern. In a healthy and functioning democracy, elected officials represent the views of the electorate.” 

NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was founded in 1970, making it the oldest continuously functioning cannabis advocacy group in the U.S. and therefore the world.

Photo Benzinga edit with Billion Photos and Yarygin by Shutterstock