Marijuana Did Well On Election Night

(This image is from the website of Forbes Magazine.)

There was a bright spot in the 2014 election. The various proposals regarding marijuana in the states and cities where it was on the ballot did very well. We have now doubled the number of states where the recreational possession and use of marijuana is legal -- as Alaska and Oregon join Washington and Colorado, and some cities in the places followed suit. Here is how marijuana issues fared on election night, according to the Marijuana Policy Project:

* Oregon and Alaska became the third and fourth states to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older and establish systems in which it will be regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. Measure 91 was approved by more than 54% of Oregon voters (as of last night’s count), and Ballot Measure 2 in Alaska was ultimately approved 52-48. MPP was the largest contributor to the Alaska campaign — financially and in terms of donating staff support — and I’d like to thank everyone who helped us score this huge victory.

* Voters in Washington, D.C. approved Initiative 71 by a margin of 65-28, removing all penalties for possession and home cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana by adults 21 years of age and older. This was the largest approval rate of any marijuana policy reform initiative in history!

* South Portland, Maine voters approved a measure 52-48 making it the second city on the East Coast — and the second major city in Maine — to make marijuana legal for adults at the local level. A similar initiative received 45% of the vote in Lewiston, and although it didn’t win, it helped generate substantial news coverage and public dialogue. MPP ran both of the campaigns — as well as the successful campaign in Portland last year — to build support for a statewide legalization initiative we will be supporting in 2016. 

* About 58% of Florida voters approved Amendment 2, which would have allowed seriously ill people to access medical marijuana if their doctors recommend it. Unfortunately, it failed because 60% approval was required for adoption. Backers of the initiative have pledged to continue working to pass a medical marijuana law next year in the legislature and, if necessary, a ballot initiative in 2016.

* In Massachusetts, 14 districts approved Public Policy Questions directing their state representatives to support making marijuana legal for adults. While non-binding, they set the stage for a 2016 statewide ballot initiative to regulate marijuana like alcohol that MPP will be supporting.

* Voters in the Michigan cities of Saginaw, Port Huron, Mt. Pleasant, Berkley, Huntington Woods, and Pleasant Ridge approved measures to decrease or remove penalties for simple marijuana possession. 

* Guam became the first U.S. territory to approve an initiative that would allow seriously ill residents to use medical marijuana in the treatment of debilitating medical conditions.