Weed is at it again with another definitive win in the November midterms. As of November 5th Oregon and Alaska will be joining states Colorado and Washington as states that have a legal market for recreational . Oregon Rep Earl Blumenauer shouted to a room full of supporters in Portland: “You did it! Isn’t this […]
Weed is at it again with another definitive win in the November midterms. As of November 5th Oregon and Alaska will be joining states Colorado and Washington as states that have a legal market for recreational marijuana.
Oregon Rep Earl Blumenauer shouted to a room full of supporters in Portland:
“You did it! Isn’t this amazing?”
You would think that he was talking about his own personal win for reelection, but oh no, Blumenauer was talking about the states win with marijuana. Measure 91, which passed with 54% of the vote, makes it legal for persons 21 years of age to possess and grow marijuana. The state Liquor Control Commission is being tasked with the job of regulating the substance. The news gets better in Washington D.C., where voters approved legislation that makes it legal for a resident 21 years of age or older to carry 2 oz. of marijuana as well as cultivate up to six plants in their home.
Alaska only waited a day after Oregon to pass a similar bill on November 5th which legalizes retail pot.
“The results are in and marijuana prohibition is on it’s way out. The results are particularly encouraging since voter turnout during a midterm election is typically smaller, older, and more conservative. Clearly, support for ending marijuana prohibition spans the political and ideological spectrums.” – Rob Kampia, Executive Director of Legalization at the Marijuana Policy Project
Other notable wins go to states like Maine where in South Portland they voted to legalize marijuana. Honorable mentions go to California for passing laws that downgrade low level drug offenses to misdemeanors, New Mexico where Santa Fe and Bernalillo counties voted heavily to legalize marijuana, and Guam which became the first United States territory to legalize medical marijuana.
All of these are great victories. It seems to be the perception of marijuana is changing in this country one state at a time. This just goes to show that maybe states like Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington D.C. aren’t going to be the only ones out there. And advocates for legalizing marijuana only have their goals and expectations set higher going into 2016 campaigns.