上周二美國國會的中期選舉讓大麻行業發現了未來發展的機會。

當天，密歇根州的一號提案投票通過，該州成為美國中西部地區第一個宣布娛樂用大麻合法的州。雖然在北達科他州娛樂用大麻合法化修正案未獲通過，但猶他州和密蘇里州的選民均投票通過醫用大麻合法。

上周三上午，投行Canacord Genuity的大麻行業分析師鮑勃·伯萊森在報告中寫道：“我們認為密歇根特別重要，因為該州人口眾多，擁有龐大的醫用（大麻）市場。我們預計，2018年密歇根的大麻市場規模將達到8.56億美元，到2022年增至約13億美元?！?/p>

密歇根州底特律市發行量最大的日報《底特律新聞》報道稱，娛樂用大麻合法銷售可能要到2020年以后才能實施。

伯萊森指出，隨著中西部市場發展，美國大麻生產與零售巨頭MedMen收購國內醫用大麻零售商PharmaCann交易的影響力將在密歇根初步顯現。

各州大麻法律正逐個調整，主要通過投票表決修改法規。而專家指出，由于美國全國對大麻的支持日盛，聯邦政府的相關立法可能更迅速地出臺。

目前，美國已有10個州立法承認娛樂用大麻市場合法，33個州明確醫用大麻合法。

“國會也越發支持各州自行制定大麻政策?！泵绹舐樾袠I協會的媒體關系主管摩根·?？怂瓜蚩萍济襟w《連線》表示，“全國三分之二民眾希望大麻合法，政客如果視而不見，就是在拿自己的政治生命冒險。”

醫用大麻合法化舉措在保守的猶他州獲得通過，顯示出輿論風向的變化。民調機構蓋洛普的調查顯示，2017年以來，大多數共和黨人已支持大麻合法化。

除了投票支持大麻合法化，上周二的中期選舉期間，還有一批支持大麻的政客當選。

在得克薩斯州的一場關鍵競選中，曾在眾議院規則委員會投票反對大麻修正案的共和黨議員皮特·塞申斯未能連任，失去了在該委員會的席位。獲勝的民主黨人科林·阿爾瑞德此前呼吁，保證患創傷后應激障礙（PTSD）的退伍軍人獲得醫用大麻。

在伊利諾伊州，已任一屆州長的共和黨人布魯斯·勞納不敵民主黨人JB普利茲克。普利茲克負責的支持大麻合法化平臺頗有聲勢。

在威斯康星州的州長寶座爭奪戰中，民主黨人托尼·埃弗斯戰勝了共和黨人斯科特·沃克爾。埃弗斯的宣傳平臺明確主張醫用大麻合法化。在咨詢性質的投票公決中，該州16個縣里有14個縣的選民支持該類大麻合法。

在一些在成立合法大麻市場的州，投票對刑事司法系統可能也會產生重大影響。

上周三發表講話時，當選密歇根州長的格瑞琴·惠特默表示，由于現在該州娛樂用大麻已經合法，會考慮撤銷違反大麻相關法律罪犯的犯罪記錄。（財富中文網）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

The marijuana industry saw momentum in last Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Proposal 1 passed in Michigan, making it the first recreational marijuana market in the Midwest. While an amendment to legalize recreational cannabis in North Dakota failed, voters in Utah and Missouri passed measures to make marijuana available for medical use.

“We view Michigan as a particularly important market given the state’s substantial population and large medical-use market,” CanacordGenuity cannabis analyst Bob Burleson wrote in a note last Wednesday morning. “We estimate Michigan’s market for marijuana to be valued at $856 million in 2018, growing to approximately $1.3 billion in 2022.”

Recreational sales may not begin in the state until 2020, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Burleson pointed out that MedMen’s acquisition of PharmaCann will give it early exposure in Michigan, as the Midwest market develops.

While cannabis laws continue to change state by state, primarily through ballot measures, experts note that increasing support across the country could push federal legalization to happen more quickly.

There are now 10 states with legal recreational marijuana markets and 33 where medical cannabis is legalized.

“Momentum is gaining for change in Congress to allow states to determine their own marijuana policies.” Morgan Fox, media relations director at the National Cannabis Industry Association, told Wired. “Two-thirds of the country wants marijuana to be legal, and politicians are ignoring that at their peril.”

Passing the medical marijuana measure in conservative Utah shows the way public opinion has changed, with a majority of Republicans supporting cannabis legalization since 2017, according to Gallup polls.

Along with the votes for legalization, a slate of pro-cannabis politicians was elected in last Tuesday’s midterms.

In a key race in Texas, Republican Representative Pete Sessions lost his seat on the House Rules Committee, where he has been blocking votes on cannabis amendments. The Democrat who defeated him, Collin Allred, has called him out for keeping veterans with PTSD from accessing medical marijuana.

In Illinois, Democrat JB Pritzker successfully ran on a pro-legalization platform to unseat first-term Republican Governor Bruce Rauner.

Democrat Tony Evers defeated Republican incumbent Scott Walker in the governor’s race in Wisconsin. His platform includes legalizing medical marijuana, which voters in 14 of 16 counties across the state signaled support for in advisory referendums on the ballot.

These votes could also have a substantial impact on criminal justice in the states creating legal marijuana markets.

Michigan’s Governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer said in remarks last Wednesday that she would consider expunging records for those convicted of criminal activities that are now legal in the state.