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Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, the big news is the election of Abigail Spanberger as Virginia's new governor. Then we turn our attention to Florida, where there are issues with a ballot initiative. Speaking of ballot initiatives, we note that Oklahoma has fallen short of the signatures necessary to get a legalization measure on the ballot. And finally, we listen in on an interview with Willie Nelson, where the topic of conversation turns to cannabis.
VIRGINIA
Abigail Spanberger (D) has been elected Governor of Virginia. In addition to the fact that she will be the first female governor in the state's history, she also supports setting up a retail market for cannabis. Since legalization measures have passed twice, only to be vetoed by the current governor, Glenn Youngkin (R), it seems extremely likely that legal retail sales will be coming to the Old Dominion in the near future, especially since the Democrats saw big gains in the legislature as well.
FLORIDA
Supporters of adult-use cannabis in Florida have filed suit in the state's Supreme Court, alleging that the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is illegally blocking a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana from appearing on the 2026 ballot. Supporters of the measure say they have more than enough signatures to put it on the ballot, but state officials have refused to confirm that officially.
OKLAHOMA
One place cannabis will not be on the ballot next year is Oklahoma. Oklahomans for Responsible Cannabis Use (ORCA) has officially withdrawn their petition, due to lack of signatures. The group had only a three-month window in which to collect signatures, which was likely a major reason for its failure.
AND FINALLY
Have you ever wondered if Willie Nelson has smoked weed on the roof of the White House? Well, wonder no longer.
Be well everyone – we'll see you next week.
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