As football season reaches its halfway point, it means that this year’s election season is about to get underway. Of course, just about everyone has heard of odds makers when it comes to sports betting – taking the over/ under for the score of each game, which team will cover the spread, and so on. But have you heard of political odds makers? They exist, and their numbers are looking solid in favor of cannabis legalization.
In 2016, voters weighed in on ballot measures regarding various stages of cannabis legalization. Midterm turnouts are usually much lower than that of presidential elections, so this fall’s voting season is particularly important. Political odds makers at MyBookie.ag agree with cannabis advocates that we could finally be experiencing the last days of cannabis prohibition. Currently, the online betting site lists 2 to 1 odds that medical marijuana will be legalized federally before 2020.
Will Medical Marijuana be legalized federally before 2020?
Yes 2/1 (+200)
Michigan, North Dakota, Utah and Missouri are preparing to vote on cannabis legalization. Six years ago, Colorado and Washington became the first U.S. states to legalize recreational cannabis. Since then, seven other states, including D.C., have done so as well. Thirty states have legalized medical cannabis.
Below are odds for each state with initiatives on the November ballot; according to MyBookie.ag.
Adult Use:
Will Michigan legalize recreational Marijuana before 2020?
Yes 1/2 (-200)
No 8/5 (+160)
Will North Dakota legalize recreational Marijuana before 2020?
Yes 1/4 (-400)
No 3/1 (+300)
Medical:
Will Missouri remove restrictions on medical marijuana before 2020?
Yes 1/2 (-200)
No 8/5 (+160)
Will Utah remove restrictions on medical marijuana before 2020?
Yes 4/6 (-150)
No 11/10 (+110)
Betting Glossary: Favorites (likely winners) have the minus (-) number which correlates to payout. For example, -200 means you’d need to wager $200 to win $100. Conversely, plus (+) numbers are for underdog bets and have higher payouts because they are less likely to happen. +160 means you’d win $160 with a $100 wager.
Canada’s nationwide cannabis legalization recently went into effect as well. If these ballot measures pass in all four states, this would mark unprecedented support for cannabis legalization, which could lead to the federal government following suit before 2020. The year 2018 will then be ending with 32 medical marijuana states and 11 that allow adult use recreational cannabis. It would appear that the will of the people is that cannabis prohibition has lasted long enough – but we will see how this all plays out. It would appear that the odds are in the favor of more cannabis freedom in the U.S.
