A wide range of drug policy reform measures are on the ballot this November, from marijuana legalization in five states to a radical drug-law overhaul in Oregon—which has one of the highest rates of substance abuse in the nation—that would decriminalize entirely personal use amounts of drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Supporters of the Oregon measure point out it would also divert tax revenues from drug sales toward expanding drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration, while critics say that normalizing drug use would increase drug addiction and remove law enforcement and the courts from the equation.
Marijuana legalization is set to make big gains on Election Day, with polls showing voters in closely watched New Jersey and Arizona in favor of cannabis reform. In a remarkable shift, pro-pot forces also have the edge in politically conservative South Dakota, where voters will decide on separate initiatives to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana.
Voters under 50 are more supportive of legalizing recreational pot in South Dakota, while there is a supermajority across demographic lines favoring medical. In all the states deciding on legalization, supporters argue that an expected surge in tax revenue from sales would be directed to worthy causes impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic—such as land conservation and outdoor recreation in Montana and public education in South Dakota.
In New Jersey, the pitch is that legal pot would save tens of millions of dollars for the cash-strapped state and allow police officers to focus on more serious safety threats. Unfortunately, there is little discussion in these states of the potential risks and dangers to public health, and the increase in indirect costs for healthcare and law enforcement that would result.