Marijuana policies remained a hot issue for voters in the 2018 elections, with several states joining the roster of those that have already legalized pot either for recreational or medical use.
Of the four pot policies that were voted on in Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota, and Utah, all but one received majority support. Two-thirds of states have passed laws allowing medical marijuana. Missouri and Utah became the 31st and 32nd states to join those ranks Tuesday.
Michigan became the 10th state — and the first in the Midwest — to allow recreational use. The others are Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Alaska, Colorado, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts.
Missouri’s Amendment 2 will give doctors the ability to prescribe marijuana to patients with certain conditions. The state’s Department of Health and Senior Services is overseeing the initiative, according to the Drug Policy Alliance, who helped write the bill.
In Utah, Proposition 2 was passed in addition to last month’s agreement between opponents and supporters to find an alternative medical cannabis they could come to a consensus on.
“The passage of Proposition 2 illustrates just how broad support has grown for medical marijuana in the U.S. Even in socially conservative states like Utah, most voters recognize marijuana has significant medical value, and they believe it should be available to patients who could benefit from it,” Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement.
Michigan passed Proposal 1, which legalizes, regulates, and taxes marijuana in a similar fashion to alcohol. Buyers must be 21 years of age or older and can carry 2.5 ounces on them as well as grow up to 12 plants for personal use. Michigan is now the 10th state to make pot legal for people 21 and over.
“Western and northeastern states have led the way on legalizing marijuana, but the victory in Michigan powerfully demonstrates the national reach of this movement,” Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement.
However, voters in North Dakota decided against a similar policy on the ballot. Measure 3 would have set no limit on the amount of marijuana people could possess or grow. It also would have allowed legislators to begin working on a commercial system for growing and selling pot.
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci said in a recent interview he believes President Trump will legalize pot on a national level during his time in office.
Sanchez-Moreno said with more and more state measures approving pot in various capacities, the Justice Department ought to be taking note.
“With such overwhelming public support for marijuana legalization, even including majorities of Republicans and older Americans, there’s only so long that the federal government can continue to hold out,” she said.
