Three more states legalize marijuana for recreational and medical use

Michigan, Missouri and Utah have turned the corner on recreational use of marijuana, moving the nation closer to ending prohibition, activists say

Nov 7, 2018

 

Looks like three more states have joined the green revolution, and decriminalized the use of marijuana.

Tuesday, Michigan became the 10th state in the nation and the first state in the Midwest to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. And voters in both Missouri and Utah elected to legalize marijuana for medical purposes just like 30 other states have previously.

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“This is yet another historic election for the movement to end marijuana prohibition,“ said Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which was heavily involved in the Michigan initiative.

“Voters have once again sent a message loud and clear that it is time to legalize and regulate marijuana. The victory in Michigan highlights just how widespread support is for marijuana policy reform. This issue does not only enjoy strong support on the coasts but also in the Midwest and all throughout the country.”

This election’s victories are just the latest push in a nationwide movement to decriminalize marijuana, which is the most commonly used illicit substance in the United States.

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Culturally, anti-marijuana sentiments have flipped drastically over the last decade, causing states to reconsider their prohibition of the drug. According to a Gallup study released in October, two out of three Americans support marijuana law reform, and more than half the country has already legalized it in some form.

Despite these growing efforts to roll back prohibition, marijuana is still illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act and many lawmakers still question if nationwide legalization is a good idea.

In a press statement posted to Facebook, a representative of Healthy and Productive Michigan, which fought against legalization in the state, wrote: “We know that there are well over a million citizens who stood with us tonight, who are very concerned about the fact that a lot of the unintended consequences that have occurred in other states are going to be coming to Michigan now.”

But according to Josh Hovey, a spokesperson for the MLIVE, Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, “This was a campaign for facts versus fear…. Voters looked at the facts…and were able to make a smart policy decision.”

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