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Marijuana and psychedelics are on the ballot at the local and state level across the US next month.

It might be an off-year election, but advocates and lawmakers have been hard at work pushing to get everything from local cannabis decriminalization to psychedelics reform on their ballots this cycle. That’s not to say that legalization activists necessarily support all the measures that will go before voters on November 2.

Here’s a rundown of the drug policy measures and relevant elections that will appear on the November ballot:

When New Yorkers finally get the chance to buy legal weed (by the end of 2022 if all goes well), they might not be able to find a licensed dispensary nearby. Towns, villages, and cities have until December 31 to decide if pot shops and cannabis cafes belong in their communities, in accordance with the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA).

Some local officials have been vocal opponents of adult-use marijuana, despite its legalization, while others think it’s high time to embrace cannabis commerce. Others are still on the fence: Only two members of the Philipstown Town Board voted in ...

Some Central New York jurisdictions are just saying no to weed shops.

A newly approved state law that legalizes retail marijuana sales to adults also permits municipalities to block the stores from opening within their borders, but they must decide before the end of this year.

So far at least 75 jurisdictions in the state are taking that step, according to a map compiled by cannabis consulting company Cannasigliere — that includes the villages of Cazenovia and Manlius, plus a handful of other locations in CNY.

Though New York state’s cannabis market has stalled in recent months,  Gov. Kathy Hochul’s arrival in Albany has sparked hope that appointments to the Office of Cannabis Management  and Cannabis Control Board will drive the industry forward. Currently, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) has made cannabis legal across New York state. But municipalities – like their populations – have varying degrees of comfort with the industry; and have some discretion regarding legalized marijuana over what is allowed and what is restricted.

Under, municipalities are pre-empted from regulating the operation or licensure of registered organizations, cannabinoid hemp licenses, or adult...

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On March 31st, Governor Cuomo signed the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation (MRTA) into law, conceived as one of the nation’s most equitable. The law has the potential to create the country’s largest legal cannabis industry and mitigate the harms experienced by Black and brown communities in the process.

Three months later, legalization has stalled in New York. Elected officials have taken no clear and public steps to create the promised cannabis industry grounded in social justice, economic equity, and environmental renewal. Every day that goes by without the administrative structure in place to implement the MRTA harms New Yorkers.