Initiatives for recreational use appeared to be on the way to approval by voters in Nevada and ME, though a similar measure is falling short of the needed 60 percent of voters in Arizona. There were nine states with marijuana legalization measures on the ballot, and eight of them have effectively passed. Voters in Montana are considering whether to loosen restrictions on the medical use of marijuana in that state.
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If California votes “yes”, recreational cannabis would be legal along the entire West Coast, giving the legalization movement powerful momentum. Different strains of marijuana are displayed during a rally in support of Prop 64 at Sparc Dispensary Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in San Francisco.
Washington state approved a ballot measure that will allow judges to issue orders temporarily seizing guns from individuals who are deemed a threat.
California voters approved tightening what were already some of the nation’s toughest gun control laws.
California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada all voted on Tuesday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults.
– Maine, where votes are still being counted, is projected to pass Question 1, the Maine Marijuana Legalization Measure.
California became the first USA state to do away with single-use shopping bags after the controversial measure was approved by voters.
“In today’s historic vote. the people of MA have roundly rejected the pointless and costly war on marijuana, which dates all the way back to the early 1900s and has its roots in xenophobia and racism”, Whitney Taylor, political director of the ACLU of MA, said in a statement. “Economically, you’re going to see a lot more people enter the space and a lot more money enter the space”.
State Treasurer Deb Goldberg said because of that, she believes there will be more growers in the state and people will put more effort into being suppliers of recreational pot.
Proposition 64 appeared headed for decisive passage as statewide returns in Tuesday’s election showed almost 56 per cent of voters favoring the measure and 44 per cent opposed, according to results reported from well over half of all precincts. But staunch opponents that included law enforcement groups and anti-drug crusaders urged the public to reject any changes.
As long as it is not visible to the public, they can grow it indoors or outdoors.
Ken Corney, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, told the AP that he is “disappointed”.
Rosenberg has said that lawmakers may need to tweak the question.
The California proposal sowed deep division among marijuana advocates and farmers. “I think it’s the beginning of the end of the war on marijuana United States”, says Newsom.
Approval by California alone, the most populous U.S. state with 39 million people, would put almost a fifth of all Americans in jurisdictions where recreational marijuana is legal, according to U.S. Census figures.
Four states – Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington – had already fully legalised weed. Amendment 2 allows licensed physicians to prescribe medicinal marijuana to patients with debilitating medical conditions.
A Gallup poll last month found that a whopping 60 percent of adults surveyed nationally support legalization.
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“Proposition 64 will allow California to take its rightful place as the center of cannabis innovation, research and development”. The measure also imposes a 15 percent sales tax and a cultivation tax of $9.25 per ounce for flowers and $2.75 per ounce for leaves on retail sales.
