Big Wins for Marijuana Advocates after Votes Tallied
Oregon, DC and Guam have voted to support new marijuana laws. Oregon becomes just the 3rd US state to legalize recreational marijuana. DC voters approved a measure that makes possession of small amounts of marijuana legal. In addition, DC residents may also grow small amounts of marijuana plants for personal use.
Florida voters rejected a measure to legalize medical marijuana. However, approximately 58 percent of Florida voters supported legalization. Florida laws required a 60 percent “super majority” to pass the measure. This may be a rare case where a loss is really a win.
Florida is traditionally a conservative political state with many older conservative voters. Getting 58 percent of a conservative state to support medical marijuana says a lot about how American attitudes have shifted towards marijuana.
At the time this article was written, the vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Alaska, was too close to call. Nonetheless, the victories today are a huge boost for marijuana legalization advocates. It is also a further endorsement that American attitudes towards marijuana are changing.