New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana on November 3. In addition, ballot initiatives for medical marijuana in Mississippi and South Dakota, magic mushrooms in Oregon and Washington, DC and drug decriminalization in Oregon passed.
Here's the 2020 rundown:
• New Jersey: Question 1 to "legalize recreational marijuana" passed by a 67%-33% margin with 2.6 million votes reported.
• Arizona: Propostion 207 to "legalize recreational marijuana" passed by a 60%-40% margin with 2.6 million votes reported.
• South Dakota: Amendment A to "legalize recreational marijuana" passed by a 53%-47% margin with 375,473 votes reported.
UPDATE: A South Dakota curcuit court overruled Amendment A on February 9. The decision is being appealed and will go to the state Supreme Court.
• South Dakota: Measure 26 to "legalize medical marijuana" passed by a 69%-31% margin with 376,810 votes reported.
• Montana: Initiative 190 to "legalize recreational marijuana" passed by a 57%-43% with 563,692 votes reported.
• Montana: Constitutional Initiative 118 to "establish a minimum legal age for marijuana" passed by a 58%-42% with 552,641 votes reported. The current legal age to consume alcohol is 18. This measure would allow the age to be increased to 21 for marijuana.
• Mississippi: Measure 65 to "allow medical marijuana" passed by a 68%-32% margin with 938,952 votes reported.
UPDATE: Measure 65 is facing a legal challenge which will be heard by the state Supreme Court in April.
• Mississippi: Measure 65A, also "to allow medical marijuana," passed by a 74%-26% margin with 827,063 votes reported. It's unclear how Mississippi will move ahead to implement medical use.
• Oregon: Measure 109 to "legalize psilocybin" passed by a 56%-46% margin with 2 million votes reported.
• Oregon: Measure 110 to "decriminalize some drugs and provide treatment" passed by a 59%-41% margin with 2 million votes reported. Some drugs includes cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
• District of Columbia: Initiative 81 to "decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungus" passed by a 76%-24% margin with 180,812 votes reported.
With the South Dakota amendment now in doubt, there are technically 14 adult-use states, not 15
Presidential elections are good for marijuana legalization. In 2012, Colorado and Washington voted in favor. California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine followed in 2016. Now four more states have voted to legalize recreational or adult use, increasing the number to 15 states (30% of the country). And with Mississippi and South Dakota passing medical marijuana, there are now 35 MMJ states. Oregon is the first state to decriminalize mushrooms.
NORML Statement
"NORML congratulates the efforts of its chapters and all of the activists and other organizations that worked tirelessly to make these campaigns a success. In a year when a pandemic limited many other campaigns’ efforts to gather signatures and coordinate successfully, these successes lend further credence to the adage: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has.'"
This article has been updated several times.
