America's marijuana map How it might change after the midterms

Four states across America are on the eve of introducing new cannabis legislation


America’s slow burn towards cannabis legalisation continues at the midterms as four states will vote on ballots featuring medicinal and recreational initiatives. Michigan and North Dakota will decide whether to make the drug legal while Utah and Missouri will vote on its medicinal uses. Polls are suggesting that all four ballots are likely to pass.
With two-thirds of Americans now pro-legalisation, it's fair to say that attitudes have relaxed since the fears of 'Reefer Madness' in the late 1930s, making marijuana a rare issue where party politics don't divide. This should result in an easy win politically to please constituents and generate a lot in tax revenue.
Despite Canada recently legalising marijuana at a national level, America is still yet to progress past the state-level. However, at the midterms, voters will be able to push America further towards its tipping point on federally legalised cannabis. Until then, here’s the current lay of the land.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...v/05/americas-marijuana-map-midterm-elections

Exciting times having Michigan and North Dakota with hopeful recreational (legal) use and who would have thought Utah and Missouri for MMJ?! All those out there in those states....VOTE!

Nice to see it happening !

3 out of 4 ain't bad
only north dakota didn't ratify
i see the missouri medical is full blown medical
no list of conditions, just a doc's recommendation, and you can home grow
pretty much legal, missouri just became more progressive than ny

3 More States OK Easing Their Marijuana Laws: Michigan, Utah, Missouri



Voters in Michigan approved a ballot measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday, and two other states — Missouri and Utah — endorsed medical marijuana laws. Voters in North Dakota didn't partake, rejecting a measure to legalize recreational marijuana use.
Now 33 states have legalized marijuana to some degree, and recreational pot use is now legal in 10 states, along with Washington, D.C. But possessing, selling or using marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
Coming into the Nov. 6 vote, both Michigan and North Dakota already had medical marijuana laws in place. Utah and Missouri didn't have far-reaching legislation on the books, though Missouri had lightened the potential penalties for first-time offenses.
Marijuana legalization advocates welcomed the news from Michigan, the first Midwestern state to approve recreational marijuana. Backers called it proof that a wide variety of Americans want the country's marijuana laws to change.
"I think it's safe to say federal laws are in need of an update," Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said in a statement. He added, "We hope the results of this election will inspire Congress to finally start addressing the tension that exists between state and federal marijuana laws in our nation."
<aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" aria-label="advertisement"> </aside> Here are the vote tallies, as reported by each state's election offices as of 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday:

• Michigan Proposal 1: 55 percent in favor, 45 percent against
• Missouri Amendment 2: 65.5 percent in favor, 34.5 percent against
• North Dakota Measure 3: 59.5 percent against, 40.5 percent in favor
• Utah Proposition 2: 53 percent in favor, 47 percent against

"Michigan residents over 21 years old will soon be able to buy, possess, use, and grow marijuana," reports member station Michigan Radio, which adds that Proposal 1's backers will now focus on trying to expunge criminal records related to nonviolent marijuana cases.
In Missouri, St. Louis Public Radio reports that Amendment 2 would impose a 4 percent tax on sales of medical marijuana, with the funds used to pay for the program. Any overage would go to the state's veterans commission. The station adds, "For the most part, there was no opposition arguing against the idea of medical marijuana."
North Dakota's Measure 3 would have required "the expungement of all marijuana-related convictions," Prairie Public Broadcasting reports. But critics said it went too far. The North Dakota Association of Counties opposed the measure, saying it lacked limits on how much marijuana one person could grow. It also said the state is still struggling to implement the 2016 measure that legalized medical use.
In Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert and key legislators already were working to frame a medical marijuana bill that is similar to Proposition 2, with the intention of passing it regardless of how Tuesday's vote turned out, Utah Public Radio reports. Those backing the plan to approve medical use include the Mormon church.

The war on weed continues to fail. First Canada then Michigan. Things are looking up for the great lakes region and the U.S. as a whole.

This story downplays the far more important result for cannabis legalization at the state level -- and nationally -- in the United States; that wasn't Michigan -- that's New York.

The Democrats just took control of both houses in the legislature in Albany as well as the office of Governor. Governor Cuomo has made no secret that he will support recreational legalization of cannabis.

The real question was whether the GOP in the NY state Senate would be able to stop it. They can't do that now. The Dems won a trifecta in New York state, for only the third time since WWII.

New York is the financial and media capital of the United States -- and in many respects -- the world. What happens in Manhattan affects how people see the issue and view legalization, both in America and abroad.

This won't be a ballot measure. It will be legislation. And as such, it will mark the end game of prohibition in the United States of America.

Its beautiful to see the dominoes falling and yet also depressing to be in a place where this new reality has failed to yet assert itself.

JustSumTomatoes said:

The war on weed continues to fail. First Canada then Michigan. Things are looking up for the great lakes region and the U.S. as a whole.

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And not to forget Mexico, Lobrador start his presidency December 1st

Crazy many more green states now awesome now the dream is for everywhere to decriminalize thats the true ideal

Though it's totally awesome to see much of the map filled in compared to what it looked like 10 years ago, it's still mind boggling to think in one place you can grow legally but in a 15 minute drive away be put in prison for it. I wish we could be like Canada and legalize as a nation.

More green than not... got to be at a tipping point soon...

Cannabis regulation is closing the gap...33 states and counting.....!

tipping point was reached long ago. biggest problem confronting cannabis users now is drug testing on/for a job. over 90% of Fortune 500 companies tested less than 10 years ago. last stats i saw were culled from a national meeting of personnel folks and they said it was now down below 65% and dropping. they cannot find the talent they need to keep the doors open, fuck expanding. military is getting more lax as well. we need a national citizen rights bill like Canada has, which protects their citizens from discriminatory bullshit like pissing in a bottle. there, there is a VERY restricted number of jobs which subject you to testing - pilots , train engineers, etc.

any large company with large amounts of liability in canada tend to test as it lowers insurance i think. they test for booze for pre employement so imagine they will for cannabis and likely will be some interesting cases if reject people for cannabinoids as the level thing is not understood.

That being said things are straighting out as far as cannabis now that its legalish, cops can smoke as time limit thing is just silly. As long as not impaired at work no reason to test.

clearheaded said:

any large company with large amounts of liability in canada tend to test as it lowers insurance i think. they test for booze for pre employement so imagine they will for cannabis and likely will be some interesting cases if reject people for cannabinoids as the level thing is not understood.

That being said things are straighting out as far as cannabis now that its legalish, cops can smoke as time limit thing is just silly. As long as not impaired at work no reason to test.

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I'm not sure what you are talking about here. My guess is that your impressions may have been formed by reading a few posts that speak of exceptional circumstances, or perhaps by a media article that seemed to jibe with what you understand of drug testing in the American employment context, and so perhaps you thought that's the way it is in Canada, too?

(If I have misunderstood your comments, I apologize)

There are no pre-employment drug tests in that vast majority of Canada -- indeed, it is illegal to do so. It is also unlawful to do so in most of Canada's provinces during employment, too.

Drug testing in the employment context in Canada is relatively rare.

The only provinces where there is any significant drug-testing is Saskatchewan and Alberta - especially in the oil and gas sector. Alberta is Canada's Texas, and is the most right-wing ideological province in the country As a result, its human rights legislation is weak. But Alberta is still a relatively small component in Canada's overall employment map. Saskatchewan's? Even smaller.

Drug-testing, as it is known in the USA's educational and employment context. is almost unknown outside of Alberta and Saskatchewan and some Federally regulated industries. Employment law is a provincial matter in Canada and the human rights acts in most provinces have banned it outright (with some narrow exceptions). There is no drug testing in any of Canada's schools for any reason.

Hell, you cannot even turn down an offer of employment for a criminal record in most of Canada (again, some narrow exceptions). Indeed, there is no way for an employer to even perform a criminal record check, even if they wanted to.

Illinois and Minnesota both elected governors who support legalization so we could see a few more states legalizing it through the legislative process.

my current & previous employers have a policy of not testing for mj. i'm in co. i think this will become more commonplace, especially with unemployment as low as it is.

New York will be the tipping point and it all tips next year.