Your guide to where marijuana and psychedelic drugs are on the ballot this Election Day
Former President Donald Trump, who is registered to vote in Florida, has said he plans to vote in favor of a Florida ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
“As I have previously stated, I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use,” Trump wrote on social media in September.
“We must also implement smart regulations, while providing access for adults, to safe, tested product. As a Floridian, I will be voting YES on Amendment 3 this November,” he added.
And though Vice President Kamala Harris has shifted her stance on the issue throughout her career, she is the first major party presidential nominee to advocate for the federal legalization of marijuana.
"We have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize it and stop criminalizing this behavior," Harris said on the All the Smoke podcast released Sept. 30.
Currently, recreational use of marijuana is legal in 24 states and Washington, D.C., and 38 states and D.C. have legalized its use for medical purposes. Two states — Oregon and Colorado — have legalized specific use of psychedelic drugs and natural plant medicines. Come Election Day, a handful of states will have their own ballot initiatives that address recreational or medical marijuana use, as well as psychedelic drugs.
Here’s where they’ll be on the ballot this election:
- Florida
- Massachusetts
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
Meanwhile, the fate of an Arkansas citizen-led initiative that seeks to expand provisions of its medical marijuana program rests with the Arkansas Supreme Court over signature disputes.
Florida: Adult Personal Use of Marijuana
What citizen-led Amendment 3 would do: Amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana use for non-medical purposes for adults 21 years and older. Individuals would be able to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana, with up to 5 grams in the form of concentrate.
What the current law says: It is illegal to possess or use marijuana recreationally. Medical marijuana is currently legal for people who have a medical marijuana ID card.
Needed to pass: Supermajority vote of 60%.
Massachusetts: Natural Psychedelics Substances Act
What citizen-led Question 4 would do: Amend state statute to allow residents ages 21 and older to possess and consume specific psychedelic substances in their homes or for therapeutic purposes at licensed facilities under supervision. Psychedelics would include psilocybin and psilocin, two substances found in mushrooms, as well as dimethyltryptamine, mescaline and ibogaine found in plants. The measure would also establish a commission to oversee the therapeutic facilitators, centers, regulation and taxation of certain substances.
