Voters in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. approved marijuana legislation on Tuesday night, legalizing the sale, possession, and use of marijuana for adults over 21.
Oregon’s ballot measure was modeled on the successful legislation that previously passed in Colorado and Washington State, which will also create a regulatory and tax system for commercial production and distribution of marijuana.
“It’s always an uphill battle to win a marijuana legalization initiative in a year like this, when young people are so much less likely to vote, which makes today’s victory all the sweeter,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). “The pace of reform is accelerating, other states are sure to follow, and even Congress is poised to wake from its slumber.”
Guam also legalized medical marijuana, while voters in Florida rejected a similar measure—the only high-profile marijuana reform initiative to fail on Tuesday night.
Legalization advocates heralded the sweeping win as a huge victory.
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“This Election Day was an extraordinary one for the marijuana and criminal justice reform movements,” Nadelmann said. He noted that the measures passed even in conservative states and as Republicans won at the polls, showing that “[r]eform of marijuana and criminal justice policies is no longer just a liberal cause but a conservative and bipartisan one as well.”
“On these issues at least, the nation is at last coming to its senses,” Nadelmann added.
Alaska was the last state to call its approval of the ballot measure. NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Communications Director Erik Altieri called it the “coda to a perfect evening for marijuana legalization supporters.”
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