These 10 States Will Have Cannabis Reform Initiatives on Their 2016 Ballots

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]O[/dropcap]hio may have lost its battle, however, cannabis smokers are winning the war. Nevada, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, Vermont, Maine, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island will all see legalization efforts during the 2016 election cycle. Cannabis advocates are calling 2016 a watershed year.

Organizers are taking ResponsibleOhio’s recent failure as a learning lesson. Oaksterdam University’s Dale Sky Jones offered some words of wisdom: “Any voter initiative in any state cannot just ‘be good for big marijuana industry; it must be good for the community at large, and with the participation of the community, rather than from behind closed doors,” said Jones. “Ohio rejected the idea of being bought and wanted good policy, which the voters did not feel this initiative provided.”

Taylor West is deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “When you look at 2016, you are seeing the potential for another watershed year for the industry,” West said. The last time the cannabis industry has seen this much movement was the end of 2012, when Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis.

Vermont and Rhode Island are currently in the legislative phase. “I think Vermont is the most likely to be the first to do it through the state legislature, as the governor and the speaker of the house have said ‘let’s do it,’” said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority. “In Vermont, they’re ready to go now.” Angell hopes to avoid the mistakes of Ohio’s Issue 3. “You don’t campaign with a marijuana superhero mascot; you don’t write in a naked money grab of an initiative,” he said.

California, of course, is home to over a dozen potential initiatives in 2016. “Legalization should not be about replacing one cartel with another,” said Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom led California’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, which signifies itself as providing a ‘road map’ to ending prohibition in California.