Setbacks for Drug Policy Reform

IN 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, voters approved a raft of drug policy reforms.

- Jacob Sullum

They included legalization of recreational marijuana in 11 states, authorization of medical use in eight, decriminalization of low-level drug possession in Oregon, approval of "psilocybin service centers" in the same state, and decriminalization of five naturally occurring psychedelics in Colorado.

The 2024 election results were a different story. Legalization of recreational marijuana lost in Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana, but a pending legal challenge may prevent implementation of that policy. A Massachusetts psychedelic initiative similar to Colorado's went down by a double-digit margin. And California voters resoundingly approved an initiative that increased penalties for several drug offenses, reinforcing the message that Oregon legislators sent when they overturned decriminalization in March 2024.

These disappointing developments suggest that the collapse of pot prohibition is slowing, that the road to broader pharmacological freedom will be bumpier than reformers hoped, and that the drug war's punitive mentality still appeals to many Americans, even in blue states. But the setbacks should not obscure the long-term trend toward less punishment and more tolerance.