A History of Cannabis' Legal Status in America
Cassidy Noblejas BartolomeiPublished: 05 Nov, 2012
1 min read
On November 6, voters will decide the next chapter of hemp’s ever changing legal status in America. With marijuana-related measures on the ballot in six states, federal and state laws will come to a head should any of these initiatives pass.
From Jamestown colony’s law requiring settlers grow hemp in 1619, to the ratification of Proposition 215 by California voters in 1996, cannabis has had its name and legality changed numerous times since before the United States of America was a country.
Below is a brief legal history of cannabis in the USA. How would you vote if a measure to legalize marijuana was proposed on your state ballot next week?
You Might Also Like
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read