Why Do Republican Lawmakers Keep Trying To Overturn Marijuana Laws Approved By Voters? (Op-Ed)

*“Whether or not one personally supports cannabis legalization, these
undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern.”*

*By Paul Armentano, NORML*

Elections have consequences. Or so we’re told. But when it comes to
respecting the outcomes of marijuana-related votes, Republican lawmakers
are increasingly saying, “Not so fast.”

A case in point: Following Nebraskans’ decision to legalize medical
cannabis access this past fall, Republican state Attorney General Mike
Hilgers urged lawmakers to ignore the voter-approved law. Months later, a
regulatory commission appointed by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen enacted
“emergency rules” largely gutting the nascent program, despite over
two-thirds of Nebraskans having voted for it.

Nebraska’s situation is hardly unique. In Texas, Republican AG Ken Paxton
single-handedly pushed litigation striking down voter-approved marijuana
depenalization ordinances in Austin, Dallas, San Marcos and other cities.
All of the ordinances, which sought to limit local police from making
low-level marijuana possession arrests, had been overwhelmingly approved by
municipal voters.

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this spring
that makes it harder for advocates to place policy questions on the ballot.
He did so after last year’s marijuana legalization initiative gained 56
percent of the vote, just shy of the state’s mandatory 60 percent threshold.

Lawmakers in the Republican-dominated legislature further turned their
backs on voters by rejecting numerous pieces of cannabis reform legislation
this spring. In fact, the only marijuana-related bill approved by Florida
lawmakers this year was legislation denying medical cannabis access to those
with certain marijuana or other drug-related convictions on their record.

In Ohio, GOP leaders have spent the better part of the past two years seeking
to repeal elements of the state’s 2023 voter-approved adult-use
legalization law. These efforts include bills to recriminalize marijuana
possession, rescind adults’ home cultivation rights and arbitrarily cap the
total number of cannabis retail outlets permitted statewide. Thus far, none
of this legislation has been successful, but at least two separate
roll-back bills remain pending and are anticipated to be revisited by
lawmakers this fall. (Separately, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine sought to
double the special sales tax on cannabis products. While that effort also
failed, lawmakers did approve a budget bill restructuring the way
cannabis-related taxes are spent.)

Similarly, Montana lawmakers this session sought to stymie its
voter-approved legalization law by calling for the creation of a state
surveillance system to monitor adults’ retail marijuana purchases. (It
failed.) Another bill sought to recriminalize any cannabis product
containing more than 15 percent THC. (It also failed.)

In South Dakota, a Republican-led effort to repeal the state’s 2020
voter-approved medical cannabis access law failed by a single vote.

In some cases, Republican lawmakers have spearheaded efforts to nullify
marijuana-related election outcomes altogether, most notably in Mississippi
(by repealing a voter-approved medical marijuana measure in 2020) and in South
Dakota (by striking down a voter-approved adult-use legalization initiative
that same year).

Whether or not one personally supports cannabis legalization, these
undemocratic tactics ought to be a cause of deep concern.

In a healthy and functioning democracy, those with competing visions on
public policy vie for voters’ support and abide by their decisions. They
don’t cast them aside simply because they’re sore losers.

Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly clear that many lawmakers, and
Republican lawmakers in particular, would rather cancel their voters than
abide by the will of the people and move forward with smart and sensible
cannabis policies.

*Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of **NORML**.*

*Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.*

The post Why Do Republican Lawmakers Keep Trying To Overturn Marijuana Laws
Approved By Voters? (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment.