By David A. Lieb
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A costly campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida failed Tuesday and California voters took a step toward tough crime laws as voters in dozens of states weighed more than 140 measures appearing on the ballot alongside races for president and top state offices.
Florida was one of several states deciding high-profile marijuana measures and was among 10 states considering amendments related to abortion or reproductive rights. Voters in several states gave resounding approval to amendments specifically barring noncitizens from voting, and Arizona approved a measure authorizing local police to enforce immigration laws.
Other state measures affected wages, taxes and education, including school choice measures defeated in Kentucky and Nebraska.
Many of the ballot measures were initiated by citizen petitions that sidestep state legislatures, though others were placed before voters by lawmakers.
Marijuana legalization
The Florida marijuana amendment fell short of the 60% supermajority needed to approve constitutional amendments. It would have allowed recreational sales of marijuana to people over 21 from existing medical marijuana dispensaries, with the potential for the Legislature to license additional retailers.
The campaign was funded predominantly by Florida’s largest medical marijuana operator, Trulieve, which had provided almost $145 million of the $153 million campaign through the end of October. The measure was opposed by the Florida Republican Party and Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said it would reduce the quality of life by leaving a marijuana stench in the air.
Measures to legalize recreational marijuana also were trailing in North Dakota and South Dakota. The election marks the third vote on the issue in both states.
In Nebraska, voters approved a pair of measures to legalize medical marijuana and regulate the industry.
Heading into the election, 24 states and the District of Columbia — representing 53% of the nation’s population — already had legalized marijuana for adults. A total of 38 states and the District of Columbia had laws allowing the medical use of marijuana. Possessing or selling marijuana remains a crime under federal law, punishable by prison time and fines.
In Massachusetts, voters were weighing a ballot measure that would legalize the possession and supervised use of natural psychedelics, including psilocybin mushrooms. It would be the third state to do so, following Oregon and Colorado.
Immigration
Arizona voters approved a measure making it a state crime to enter from a foreign country except through official ports of entry. The measure authorizes state and local law enforcement officers to arrest violators and state judges to order their deportations. It also makes it a state crime for someone already in the U.S. illegally to apply for public benefits using false documents.
Within the past year, Republican lawmakers in Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma also have passed immigration laws. In each case, federal courts have halted the states’ efforts to enforce them. The Arizona measure won’t take effect immediately, because it stipulates that violators can’t be prosecuted until a similar law in Texas or another state has been in effect for 60 consecutive days.
Crime
Voters in California took a step toward tougher crime laws, a decade after relaxing them. A measure approved Tuesday makes shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders again and increasing penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also gives judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment.
The measure partly rolls back a law passed by voters in 2014 that downgraded several nonviolent crimes to misdemeanors, including theft under $950 in value and some drug offenses.
Taxes
In Colorado, voters are weighing a proposal that would make it the second state after California to impose a sales tax on firearms and ammunition, with revenue going primarily to crime victims’ services. The federal government already taxes sales of guns and ammunition.
