Recreational Marijuana Could Be Legalized In Five States In Midterms

The question of legalizing marijuana will appear on Maryland, Arkansas, Missouri and North and South Dakota’s ballots in next week’s midterms.

Recreational use of marijuana is already legal in 19 states and Washington, D.C. The majority of states, 37 to be exact, allow the use of marijuana for medical reasons. All five states that are considering legalizing recreational use have legalized marijuana for medical purposes already.

Individual states have made their own laws regarding the laws within their borders.

The vote in Arkansas is expected to be close. In October, just over half of the likely voters said they would vote to legalize marijuana. Just 6.5% of respondents remained undecided at that point, according to a poll conducted by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College.

In Maryland, the measure will most likely be approved among voters, going into effect next July.

Missouri is also projected to support the measure, voters have expressed that their vote is contingent on a variety of details such as the penalties that marijuana users will still face under the amendment.

The measures are less likely to pass in the Dakotas, though they still have a better chance at being approved than other times it has come up on the ballot. This is mainly due to a surge in funding.

President Joe Biden has taken large steps toward loosening the penalty for marijuana possession including releasing all those imprisoned in the federal system for cannabis.

Oklahoma citizens will also have the opportunity to vote on marijuana laws in their state in a special election in March.