Highs & Lows: Cannabis Election Recap + Celebrating How to Do the Pot’s Anthem Award!

[00:00:00] This podcast discusses cannabis and is intended for audiences 21 and over.

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[00:00:58] Welcome to How To Do The Pot, a podcast helping you feel confident about cannabis. I’m your host, Ellen Scanlon.

[00:01:10] It has been a long few weeks for me, and you may have noticed that we skipped last week’s episode. There was Halloween, daylight savings, the election. I’ve also been super sick with a nasty case of strep throat. And to top it all off, I got into a car accident on the way home from picking my son up from school.

[00:01:31] We are all okay. Someone hit me, the car’s drivable. And I took it all as a sign to slow down. It’s been a lot. In today’s episode, I want to give you an update on how cannabis fared in the election and what’s next for weed. How did states with cannabis on the ballot vote, and how might this affect the decision to reschedule cannabis?

[00:01:57] We covered this in more detail in episode 265, so check that out if you’d like more context. I do have some very exciting news. How to Do the Pot has won an Anthem Award. The award honors purpose and mission driven work and amplifies voices that are inspiring global change. I really am so proud to be nominated alongside MTV Studios, ABC News, the McKinsey Health Institute, and Maria Shriver’s Sunday paper.

[00:02:29] How to do the pot is a small show created by a very small team, and it’s such an honor to win this award. Thank you to my whole team and to the judges for this award. Have you checked out how to do the pots newsletter yet? Twice a month, you’ll get podcast highlights, inspiring stories, cannabis brand discounts, and behind the scenes fines straight to your inbox.

[00:02:56] I’m excited to introduce a new section called Women We Love, celebrating amazing women who also like weed. Plus in every newsletter, I share four of my personal recommendations, like the podcasts, books, or events that are inspiring me. If you’re already one of our 10, 000 plus subscribers, your free access stays the same.

[00:03:17] And now through Substack, you can choose to upgrade to a paid subscription and support our work. By becoming a paid subscriber, you’re directly contributing to our mission of helping women feel confident about cannabis. Head to Substack or DoThePot. com to subscribe today. Thank you for your support.

[00:03:49] It’s been a few weeks and I hope you, your loved ones, and our whole country are feeling okay after a very emotional election. The update on cannabis is not that great. I wish I had better news. There were four states that voted on legalizing cannabis on election day. Florida, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

[00:04:12] Of these, three states, Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota, were voting on the legalization of recreational or adult use cannabis, which means for anyone over 21. All three measures failed and voters did not choose to legalize cannabis. Florida was the most watched state in part because Donald Trump came out in support of the measure.

[00:04:35] Florida has a very robust medical market already with revenues of over two billion dollars annually. In Florida, a 60 percent voter threshold was required to pass and only 56 percent of Floridians voted for legalization. One state, Nebraska, voted on whether to legalize medical cannabis. That measure passed, but it is facing legal challenges.

[00:05:04] It remains to be seen when and whether medical cannabis will actually be available in Nebraska. In past episodes, I’ve shared an important date to watch, early December, which is when the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Agency, was expected to rule on whether to move cannabis from a Schedule I substance Similar to cocaine or heroin to the less restrictive schedule three, that decision has been pushed back to January or February, while the DEA calls more witnesses to add to their research.

[00:05:41] Candidate Donald Trump said publicly that he would let rescheduling happen. And now that potential change, which has a lot of implications for the industry, will be decided once he’s in office.

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[00:06:50] In episode 265, we talked about what to watch over the next four years with the lack of support for cannabis in the election. Industry insiders don’t expect much movement from the now Republican led Congress on cannabis legalization or measures like safe banking. Donald Trump has announced his pick for attorney general, which is the nation’s top law enforcement position.

[00:07:17] His choice is Matt Gaetz, a Republican Congressman from Florida. Gates has been one of the only Republican members of Congress who supports and has voted for cannabis legalization. He is considered a controversial pick for attorney general, and already some Republicans have warned that he may not have the support he needs to be confirmed.

[00:07:42] I’m a believer that it’s not always clear what will be good or bad in the long term, especially when it comes to politics. While the news I’ve shared today may seem gloomy, I think the best thing to do is take a beat and let all of this news sink in. As we head into the holiday season, we’re going to take a short break and won’t be releasing new episodes every week.

[00:08:11] You can still keep up with me and the show on our Substack newsletter, and I’ll add a link in the show notes. I would like to invite you to be part of a small private focus group for how to do the pot. As we plan for 2025, I want to know what do you like about the show? What can we do better and learn more about who you are?

[00:08:34] Each session will take about 15 minutes or so. If you’re interested in being part of it, please DM at DoThePot or send an email to hi at DoThePot. com. I am really excited to talk with you. I wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving. We’ll be back in December with a two part series about how women are transgender.

[00:08:57] All across the country are normalizing cannabis and enhancing their celebrations by bringing weed into life. Special moments. Stay tuned

[00:09:10] for lots more information and past episodes, visit do the pot. com. And that’s also where you can sign up for our newsletter. If you like how to do the pot, please rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It really helps more people find the show. Thanks to producers, Maddie fair and Nick Patri. I’m Ellen Scanlon, and stay tuned for more of How to Do the Pot.