Which states voted to legalize recreational marijuana?
FILE – An employee at the Good Leaf Dispensary measures out marijuana for a customer on the reservation Mohawks call Akwesasne, on March 14, 2022, in St. Regis, N.Y. Pot is a popular topic on ballots again this November election. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota have measures on their ballots to amend their constitutions and legalize recreational marijuana for those 21 and older. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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Maryland and Missouri are the latest states to legalize recreational marijuana, according to Decision Desk HQ, with results still pending in North Dakota.
With 65.53% of the vote in the affirmative, Maryland adults over 21 will be allowed to possess 1.5 ounces of marijuana, and to grow two plants out of public sight. The law will also establish a process for expunging past cannabis possession convictions, The Baltimore Sun reported.
Missourians voted to approve a constitutional amendment with just over half of the vote. Medical marijuana was legalized in 2018 in the state.
In another close race, South Dakota’s measure failed when 52.85% of voters opposed the initiative. This was the second time for voters on this issue. In 2020, voters passed the pro-marijuana Amendment A, but it was overturned in a circuit court ruling later upheld by the state’s Supreme Court.
Arkansas voted against legalizing recreational marijuana, which would’ve allowed for a 10% tax, part of which would have been set aside for law enforcement. Arkansas currently allows use of the plant for medical reasons.
Recreational marijuana had already been legal in 19 states. All but two states allow it for medical use, although it remains illegal on both counts at the federal level.
As many as 60% of Americans support legalizing marijuana, according to a Pew Research Poll — and more than 90% support it medicinally.
