Legalization

Hemp cultivation rates in the U.S. have quadrupled since 2018, with an estimated 115,000 to 138,000 acres of hemp expected to be harvested by the year’s end.

A recent projection by Prohibition Partners suggests that North America’s legal cannabis industry may be worth an annual $47.3 billion by 2024.

Two separate Florida groups have filed petitions for putting a people’s initiative legalizing adult-use cannabis on the 2020 ballot; the latest group to file a petition is backed by MedMen.

Yet another national poll shows that a strong majority of Americans support the federal legalization of cannabis.

The following is a list of all the U.S. states that have passed adult-use cannabis legalization, whether by voters’ choice or via the state legislature.

Ohio is the latest state to legalize hemp cultivation and CBD product manufacturing; the bill had been overwhelmingly approved by the state’s legislative bodies and was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday.

The latest poll is a five-point increase in favor of legalization compared to a survey conducted last year. According to recent results, just 25 percent of UK voters say they are opposed to legalizing cannabis.

A team of researchers looking at post-legalization high school surveys found a decline among teenage cannabis use following the local legalization of medical and adult-use cannabis.

Following a rejection by voters in 2018, legalization advocates in North Dakota are maneuvering for another ballot initiative in 2020; advocates say the 2018 initiative was “too vague” for voters.

Idaho advocates are gearing up to push a medical cannabis ballot initiative to voters during next year’s general election.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed a bill creating regulations for the state’s adult-use cannabis industry, which was approved by voters in 2016. Former Gov. Paul LePage had vetoed similar reforms, stalling the market’s launch.

Ireland has established a five-year pilot program for medical cannabis access, two years after the health minister first announced the program.

The legislative task force assigned to consider the logistics of adult-use cannabis legalization in Maryland has convened for the first time; the task force’s findings will influence whether or not Maryland pursues adult-use legislation next year or turns the issue over to voters via a ballot initiative.

Illinois is officially the 11th state to legalize adult-use cannabis and will be the first state to regulate cannabis sales via the legislature. The new law, signed this morning, will also set up nearly 800,000 prior cannabis convictions for expungement.

The last-minute efforts to legalize or decriminalize adult-use cannabis in New York before the legislature adjourns for the year have failed; lawmakers will have to pursue the issue again next year.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing for lawmakers to pass a statewide legalization measure before the New York legislative session ends tomorrow.

The New York Farm Bureau has announced its support for pending legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis. The legislation would give farmers priority consideration for cannabis cultivation licenses.

Recent polling data suggests that a strong 55 percent majority of New Yorkers support cannabis legalization, including an overwhelming 75 percent of young voters.

A cannabis legalization bill has advanced from the Delaware House Revenue and Finance Committee into the full chamber for consideration. A similar bill failed last year by just four votes — Gov. John Carney, however, has already voiced his opposition to legalizing.

Illinois lawmakers have approved a legalization bill that, if signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker — a cannabis legalization supporter — would make Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis.

A tax-and-regulate legalization plan has advanced from the Illinois Senate to the House of Representatives. The bill has the support of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and, if fully approved, would make Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis for adult use.

Expecting another 2020 ballot initiative legalization bid, lawmakers in North Dakota plan to study the implications of adult-use cannabis regulations in the event voters there decide to embrace reform.

The Archdiocese of Chicago — one of Illinois’ most powerful organizations — has come out against legal cannabis in the state; meanwhile, one of the group’s top officials serves on the board of Insys Therapeutics, a notoriously anti-legalization pharmaceutical group.