Look, we hate to get political. We’d rather just keep cultivating and trying our best to build this program with the rest of the industry, because we don’t care how you vote, we just want your voice heard. For our industry, the last two legislative sessions have proven that if we want anything, we have to do it ourselves, and currently, we don’t have a way to do it.

In 1992, the state adopted language in our constitution saying that a citizen-led initiative requires a collection of signatures in the 5 state congressional districts. In 2000, the state lost a district, making the number of districts go down to 4. In May of 2021, the court ruled that since there were no longer five districts in which to collect signatures, no initiative could be valid, thus killing our right to introduce ballot initiatives that the legislation doesn’t address.

Sound familiar? This killed our medical cannabis initiative, along with many others that the citizens have a right to introduce.

OUR ASK IS SIMPLE. REACH OUT TO YOUR LEGISLATORS AND ASK FOR THE ORIGINAL BALLOT INITIATIVE TO BE REINSTATED, WITH A SIMPLE CHANGE FROM 5 TO 4 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. They won’t even have to ChatGPT it. Just a simple change, giving the right to introduce initiatives back to our citizens.

How long are we willing to wait? Below is a link to your legislators’ email address. Please email them, write them, call them. Many of these legislators are dependent on your vote for re-election, and we may need to issue an ultimatum.