Red states are leaning green in this election

There have been big changes for marijuana in the last 20 years.

The War on Drugs shaped attitudes toward marijuana for two generations, but in the last decade the country seems to have gotten over it. Now even red states are trending toward green in this election. Nixon's administration fought against drug abuse, which was declared “public enemy number one.” But times have changed and so have public opinion and taste. And in this election, even conservative states are positive about opening their borders to forms of legal cannabis. The West Coast has been a leader in legalization with California, Oregon and Washington, but other states have been slower to accept it. But in 2022, over 50% of the population will have access to legal weed and even the AARP has come out in support of medical marijuana. And the states were able to enjoy the high revenue for the state treasury. States with purely recreational use make more money from cannabis taxes than from alcohol. And crime is also falling.

In Kansas, the Midwest Newsroom partnered with Emerson College Polling to conduct surveys. More than 72% of the state's voters said they support legalizing medical marijuana. About 56% support legalization for recreational use. Republican leaders in the Sunflower State have opposed legalizing marijuana of any kind. But with some movement at the federal level, a special committee on medical marijuana was recently created.

North Dakota voters appear to be divided and largely undecided on the marijuana initiative, according to a poll commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative. The Dakotas are traditionally conservative states, but the North's sister state in the South shows some differences. The Chiesman Center for Democracy at the University of South Dakota is seeing an increase in support, but not quite to the level needed to pass.

Utah, which isn't a fan of alcohol or caffeine, appears to be going green. A recent poll found that 50% of voters in the Beehive State would support recreational cannabis. Another 38% of Utah residents surveyed support only medical cannabis and 9% believe cannabis should be completely illegal. Three percent were “not sure”.

According to polls, Florida, one of the largest states, appears inclined to say yes to recreational marijuana. That's interesting considering the state's governor, Ron DeSantis, has waged an all-out war against the ballot initiative. There is currently a court battle over DeSantis using state resources to pressure the media to promote anti-legalization public service announcements.

November 5th could be a big day for cannabis and provide a glimpse into the country's mindset.