Florida, Arkansas, and North Dakota voters approve medical cannabis on Election Day 2016

While four states legalized recreational cannabis on November 8, 2016, voters in three conservative-leaning states—Florida, Arkansas, and North Dakota—approved ballot initiatives establishing full-strength medical marijuana programs, while Montana voters passed Initiative 182 (57.7% Yes) to restore their state’s medical dispensary system.

The November 8, 2016 medical ballot victories

• Florida Amendment 2 (71.32% Yes): Two years after an earlier medical amendment fell just shy of Florida’s required 60% constitutional threshold (getting 57.6% in 2014), Florida voters approved Amendment 2 by a massive 71.32% Yes (6,518,919 votes) to 28.68% No (2,621,845 votes). Florida’s medical program grew into one of the largest in the country, serving more than 850,000 registered patients.
• Arkansas Issue 6 (53.15% Yes): Approved by 585,030 Yes (53.15%) to 515,745 No (46.85%), the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment made Arkansas the first state in the Deep South to pass a voter-initiated constitutional amendment authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries.
• North Dakota Measure 5 (63.76% Yes): Approved by 215,072 Yes (63.76%) to 122,225 No (36.24%), Measure 5 established the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act for patients with qualifying debilitating conditions.

Earlier in 2016, state legislatures in Pennsylvania (April 17, 2016) and Ohio (June 8, 2016) had also enacted medical marijuana programs, bringing comprehensive medical cannabis laws to a clear majority of U.S. states.

Photo: Adobe Stock. Later contextual stock: Florida State Capitol, April 26, 2018; illustrates Florida only, not the 2016 votes in Florida, Arkansas or North Dakota.