By Mike Catalini—
The Associated Press
Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota vote Tuesday on whether to legalize cannabis for recreational use.
If the measure is approved, it would join the 19 states and the District of Columbia that have already regulated this type of consumption, so that half of the country would already have favorable laws.
Since Colorado and Washington became the forerunners of recreational marijuana a decade ago, the bans on its use have gradually disappeared: from large, populous states like California and New York, to smaller, more rural ones like Maine. and Vermont.
[Decision 2022: Follow our coverage of the midterm elections here]
In most states where recreational cannabis remains illegal, programs have nevertheless been passed to regulate its medical use.
A greenhouse for cannabis plants in Grandview, Missouri, on October 31, 2022. Charlie Riedel / AP
What does each state vote for?
Arkansas
The Arkansas Supreme Court cleared the way in September for voters to consider whether those 21 and older can use recreational marijuana.
The court reversed a decision by the Board of Election Commissioners, which said the proposal did not explain the impact.
Arkansas approved medical marijuana in 2016.
Maryland
Maryland lawmakers approved earlier this year to put on the ballot the question of whether marijuana should be legal for those 21 and older.
The proposal for a constitutional amendment clarifies that cannabis for recreational purposes
would not be legal until July 2023,
with a transition period between January 1 and July 1.
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Missouri
The Missouri amendment would also approve cannabis for those over 21 years of age.
The population could also start
buying and growing it for personal use from this year.
Voters in the state approved medical marijuana in 2018. The Missouri Legislature, currently in the hands of the Republican Party, has failed to reach an agreement to approve the recreational use of marijuana for years.
That is why the defenders of this consumption decided to take the issue to the polls.
North Dakota
North Dakota is asking its voters whether those over the age of 21 can legally use marijuana at home, as well as
possess and cultivate a controlled amount
of cannabis.
The measure at stake also establishes policies to regulate retail stores, growers and other marijuana businesses.
[Trump plans to announce his 2024 presidential bid in the coming days, according to reports]
South Dakota
South Dakota voters approved a cannabis legalization amendment in 2020, but the governor, Republican Kristi Noem, supported a lawsuit challenging it, and the state Supreme Court ruled that it violated the state Constitution.
This year, voters will again have a chance to weigh in on legalizing recreational marijuana for those 21 and older.
Oklahoma
Supporters of recreational marijuana legalization in Oklahoma got enough signatures to get the issue to voters, but they didn't arrive in time to get it on Tuesday's ballot.
It will be voted on in March.
In which US states is marijuana legal and in which ones is its medicinal use allowed?
Oct. 7, 202201:45
Where is it illegal?
At the federal level, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD, and
carrying it can carry criminal penalties.
But
Idaho, Kansas and Nebraska
are the only states that have not implemented any type of measure on the use of marijuana, neither medicinal nor recreational, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
What other legislative changes are being considered regarding the use of cannabis?
In October, Democratic President Joe Biden announced that he would pardon thousands of people with federal marijuana possession convictions.
The president also ordered the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and the Attorney General of the United States, Merrick Garland, to
review how marijuana is criminalized in federal legislation,
although the White House did not establish a deadline to carry out said verification.
On the other hand, Biden also said he was convinced that as federal and state laws on marijuana become more flexible, limits will be established on trafficking, marketing and sale
to minors.