This month’s state elections in Kentucky, Mississippi and Virginia are worth noting for people who care about marijuana reform.
Kentucky
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Beshear narrowly defeated the incumbent Republican, Matt Bevin, who finally conceded after a statewide recanvassing of the vote on Thursday, Nov. 14. Governor-elect Beshear is very good news to cannabis enthusiasts, as one of the key points of his platform includes the legalization of medical marijuana. Marijuana, whether it is used medically or recreationally, is still illegal in Kentucky, and legislative reform seems unlikely due to a heavily Republican, anti-marijuana reform state legislature. But to avoid that roadblock to reform, Beshear has promised to “place medical marijuana legalization on the ballot as a constitutional amendment,” recognizing it as a more harmless alternative to opioids.
Beshear also pledged to reform Kentucky’s criminal justice system, addressing the unequal treatment of people of color, who are currently arrested at much higher rates for low-level drug offenses, and claiming nobody should serve jail sentences for possession of small amounts of marijuana. “I’m committed to rooting out the bias and discrimination that exists in our criminal justice system, which leads to disproportionately high incarceration rates for people of color,” Beshear announced. “I will continue to work to ensure that people suffering from addiction are sent to treatment instead of jail.”
Mississippi
In November 2020, medical marijuana will be on the ballot in Mississippi, thanks to grassroots efforts. The state’s incumbent governor, Phil Bryant—a violently anti-marijuana Republican who supports harsh punishments for even low-level drug offenses—was voted out of office and will be replaced by another Republican, Tate Reeves, Bryant’s own lieutenant governor. While Reeves personally opposes the medical marijuana amendment, he is more willing to work with the people than Bryant ever was.
“We’re not going to consider [marijuana reform] in Mississippi as long as I’m governor,” was Bryant’s stance. In contrast, Reeves announced that he will vote against marijuana reform, but, “if the people of Mississippi decide to vote a different way than I do, then I’m going to uphold the will of the people.”
Virginia
For the first time in more than 25 years, Democrats took control of both the Virginia Senate and House. In this year’s election, Virginia was the only state where control of the legislature could be flipped, and Democrats more than met that challenge—especially by winning a comfortable majority in the House. Adding to the fact that the state has a Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, the Democratic Party obtained a perfect trifecta in Virginia, which bodes well for future reforms.
Northam, who is a medical professional, argued in favor of marijuana reform even before he was elected governor last year. In a 2017 blog post, he wrote, “As a doctor, I’m becoming increasingly convinced by data showing potential health benefits of marijuana, such as pain relief, drug-resistant epilepsy and treatment for PTSD.” He added, “We need to change sentencing laws that disproportionately hurt people of color. One of the best ways to do this is to decriminalize marijuana.”
Although he wasn’t able to pass meaningful legislation with a Republican-dominated legislature, Northam initially ran on a platform that included the decriminalization of marijuana. Following this month’s election, he announced that he intends to take steps to make good on that promise, and that decriminalization was on his agenda for the upcoming General Assembly session.
