Cannabis Legalization Battles Draw Big Money Vying for Voters

State ballot initiatives are on the verge of making cannabis legal in more than half the country, driving proponents and detractors to pour dollars into the policy fight as Election Day approaches.

Florida’s push to legalize recreational cannabis alone is making history as the nation’s most expensive ballot initiative this cycle and the costliest marijuana-related measure ever.

“States have certainly been getting ahead of themselves,” said Jordan Davidson, the lead government affairs manager for Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which advises marijuana opposition campaigns. “The federal government has clearly not taken much action in this space.”

Increasingly tolerant state attitudes toward ...