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Weed Wins! Voters Legalize Marijuana Across the US

© Flickr / Park RangerThe government argued that the family’s operation did not comply with the state’s medical marijuana law, and that marijuana remains federally illegal.
The government argued that the family’s operation did not comply with the state’s medical marijuana law, and that marijuana remains federally illegal. - Sputnik International
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The electoral map was not only painted red last night -- it was also painted green, as four states voted in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana.

In this photo taken Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, marijuana plants sit under powerful growing lamps at the Pioneer Production and Processing marijuana growing facility in Arlington, Wash. Washington’s second-in-the-nation legal marijuana market opened last summer to a dearth of weed, with some stores periodically closed because they didn’t have pot to sell and prices were through the roof. Six months later, the equation has flipped, bringing serious growing pains to the new industry. Prices are starting to come down in the state’s licensed pot shops, but due to a glut, growers are struggling to sell their marijuana. - Sputnik International
Recreational Marijuana Use on the Ballot for a Quarter of All Americans
California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada all voted on Tuesday to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults. Arizona was the only state with recreational cannabis use on the ballot that did not pass the initiative, with 52 percent of Grand Canyon state residents voting against it.

California is one of the country’s most densely-populated states, with some 39 million residents. Recreational use passing in that state alone means that one fifth of Americans are now living in a state where such use is legal.

"If California votes 'yes,' it's legitimately the beginning of the end of the war on marijuana in the United States. Period. Full stop," California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement prior to election day.

Marijuana advocates also heralded Tuesday evening’s big wins as an important step toward federal legalization.

“Last night’s results send a simple message — the tipping point has come,” National Cannabis Industry Association executive director Aaron Smith told the Washington Times. “More than 16 million voters, including in two of the three most populated states in the nation, chose legal, regulated cannabis programs that promote safety, boost the economy, help sick patients, and address social injustices.”

In this May 8, 2014 file photo, a customer pays cash for retail marijuana at 3D Cannabis Center, in Denve - Sputnik International
Sky High: Marijuana Sales Soar to Nearly $1 Billion in Colorado in 2015
The use of medicinal marijuana passed in Florida, Montana, North Dakota, and Arkansas. Montana also voted to ease restrictions on their existing medical marijuana laws.

Arkansas was the first state in the Bible Belt to pass medical marijuana laws, with 53 percent of their residents voting in support. Qualifying patients will now be able to purchase medical marijuana through regulated dispensaries.

In Florida, a fierce battleground state won by Donald Trump, the measure won in a 71 percent landslide, showcasing that voters on both sides of the political aisle support legalizing marijuana, at least in some capacity.

Nationwide, polls show that 57 percent of Americans favor legalization.

"It's changed in the minds of these voters from being like cocaine to being like beer," University of Southern California political scientist John Matsusaka told Reuters.

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