2026 Cannabis Ballot Measures: Will Progress Be Pushed Forward or Rolled Back?

The cannabis landscape in the United States is approaching a pivotal crossroads. While a steady march toward legalization defined previous years, 2026 is shaping up to be a year of intense tug-of-war, with ballot measures both to expand cannabis freedoms and to roll back progress. 

Below is a breakdown of the key measures that could reshape cannabis policy across the country, and determine if the reform movement keeps its momentum or hits a significant roadblock.

At A Glance

Florida (adult-use)

After a 2024 initiative (Amendment 3) garnered a strong 56% of the vote in Florida — just shy of the 60% required for constitutional amendments — the Smart & Safe Florida campaign launched another effort to bring legalization directly to voters, this time for the 2026 election.

Smart and Safe Florida has reported that over a million verified signatures have been submitted to the state. While a court recently invalidated roughly 200,000 signatures due to formatting disputes, the campaign remains confident they have more than enough to meet the 880,000 required for ballot placement. Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court has begun its review of Smart and Safe Florida's proposed adult-use legalization ballot initiative. 

Idaho (medical)

Idaho arguably has the worst cannabis laws in the nation — and the most anti-cannabis state lawmakers. The state has no medical cannabis program, no adult-use legalization law, and no decriminalization law. However, the advocates are working to bring the state into the fold of the 40 others with medical cannabis programs.

The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho has begun collecting signatures to land a medical cannabis program on the November 2026 ballot. The measure would allow patients with a "substantial medical condition” — which includes anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain — to register to purchase cannabis from a licensed, vertically integrated medical cannabis business.

Signature collection is ongoing; advocates must submit over 70,000 valid signatures by April 30, 2026. To learn more about the ballot initiative, check out our summary.

Idaho (banning future ballot measures)

While activists work to pass medical cannabis, Idaho’s legislature has referred its own measure to the ballot: House Joint Resolution 4 (HJR 4). This constitutional amendment is designed to be a permanent "lock" on prohibition. 

If passed, it would strip Idaho voters of the power to legalize any prohibited drugs via ballot initiative in the future, including cannabis. It would grant the legislature sole authority over drug policy, effectively silencing the voice of the people on this issue forever. No citizen's initiative would ever be allowed to create a compassionate medical cannabis program or adult-use legalization law. 

Ohio (Overturn SB 56)

In 2023, 57% of Ohio voters approved Issue 2, an MPP-backed law legalizing cannabis for adults 21 and older. Outrageously, in late 2025, the Ohio Legislature voted to whittle away voter-enacted freedoms and recriminalize innocuous conduct, and Gov. DeWine signed the bill (SB 56). 

Ohioans for Cannabis Choice has launched a signature drive for a referendum to overturn SB 56. In early January, the state’s Attorney General rejected the petition language, citing areas of concern over the summary language. Ohioans for Cannabis Choice said it intends to fix the language, collect another 1,000 signatures and resubmit the petition.

If the petition is certified, advocates will need to collect 248,092 valid signatures from Ohio voters, with additional signature requirements in half of the counties, by mid-March to get the referendum on the November 2026 ballot. 

Arizona, Maine, and Massachusetts (repeal efforts)

For the first time in the modern era of legalization, established markets are facing well-funded efforts to roll back existing freedoms. Prohibitionists are trying to qualify ballot initiatives that would return to the dark days of prohibition.

Arizona: In 2020, 60% of Arizona voters approved Proposition 207 to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. A recently filed ballot initiative would repeal key provisions of the state’s marijuana legalization law by eliminating commercial sales, while still permitting possession and personal cultivation. In order to make the ballot, the campaign will need to collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2. The campaign expects to spend up to $25 million to see this measure through. 

Massachusetts: In 2016, Bay State voters approved Question 4, the historic MPP-supported ballot initiative that ended cannabis prohibition for adults 21 and older. An indirect initiative to repeal the sale of adult-use marijuana and the personal cultivation of cannabis in homes has been filed, and has already cleared its first signature hurdle (over 78,000 signatures certified). The indirect initiative has been submitted to the legislature, and lawmakers have until May 5 to act on it. If they choose not to, the campaign will need to go through another round of petitioning and get at least 12,429 certified signatures by July 1 to make the November ballot.

Maine: Voters in Maine approved a ballot initiative legalizing possession and cultivation of cannabis for adults and establishing a regulated cannabis market in 2016, with 50.3% voting to approve the measure. Now, an effort is underway to repeal the Maine Cannabis Legalization Act. The initiative would effectively re-criminalize adult-use home grows and shift adult-use businesses back to a medical-only framework.

Note: There are additional cannabis-related ballot measures that are in the early stages, although it is unclear if these campaigns will make the November 2026 ballot. To qualify, a campaign typically needs hundreds of thousands of verified signatures, which often requires a professional ground game and millions of dollars in funding.