All the States Voting on Legalizing Medical Marijuana in 2016

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

All the States Voting on Legalizing Medical Marijuana in 2016

Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Montana could join the states with legalized medical cannabis.

United States of Weed demystifies all the cannabis legislation for Election 2016. Learn about states voting on recreational marijuana here.

Four states are set to vote on legalizing medical marijuana during this election.

Medical marijuana can be as contentious an issue as recreational weed since it often pits morals against science. But the growing amount of research and medical practitioners supporting medical marijuana for ailments from cancer to anxiety can no longer be ignored. Nor can new studies about possible cannabis-based cures.

Advertisement

Motherboard reporters explored what's at stake on this year's ballot.

Note: This map includes states that have legalized cannabidiol oil (CBD) as a medical treatment in its definition of legalized medical marijuana. It's important to note that some of this legislation can be severely limited, and inaccessible to many patients.

Florida

Under Amendment 2 marijuana will be considered a legal treatment for patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Read more about Amendment 2 here.

Arkansas

Arkansas' Issue 6 would legalize medical marijuana for 17 qualifying conditions, create a Medical Marijuana commission and allocate tax revenue to public facilities. It opens up marijuana usage for people suffering from cancer, Crohn's disease and other diseases, disorders and syndromes.

Read more about Issue 6 here.

North Dakota

Initiated Statutory Measure 5 would legalize the use, distribution and possession of medical marijuana for specific medical purposes, including cancer, AIDS, epilepsy and ALS. The measure would develop regulations for these new industries. The measure would establish a system where patients could register for a medical marijuana card, and designated caregivers could treat one to five patients.

Read more about Measure 5 here.

Montana

Initiative 182 would repeal the three-patient limit for medical marijuana providers, allowing for wider use of medical marijuana. The initiative would eliminate a state law that currently requires doctors who prescribe medical marijuana to more than 25 patients a year to be reviewed by the state board of medical examiners. It also forbids law enforcement from making unannounced inspections of medical marijuana facilities and requires annual inspections by the state.

Read more about Initiative 182 here.

Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.