Nineteen states, two territories and the District of Columbia have legalized small amounts of recreational cannabis (marijuana) by adults. Rhode Island recently passed the Rhode Island Cannabis Act. In late June 2021, Connecticut legalized recreational cannabis use with the passage of SB 1201. Some aspects of the law will not come into force immediately, but people 21 years of age and older will be able to use cannabis for recreational purposes as of July 1, 2021. On April 7, 2021, the Virginia legislature accepted the governor`s recommended changes for a much faster implementation window for HB 2312, which would legalize the recreational use of cannabis in Virginia and create a regulated commercial market. New York legalized cannabis with the signature of Governor AB 1248, which was passed during the 2021 New York session. In addition, on June 30, the New Mexico legislature passed the New Mexico legislature. In March 2021, it introduced its Cannabis Regulation Act at its first special session. The law, HB 2a, was signed into law by the governor. Promoting Consumer Safety Marijuana product testing is becoming a standard requirement for legalized marijuana markets. This means that consumers are better informed about the marijuana they are using. But the so-called „green wave“ seen in the November 2020 election, when four states voted to legalize adult use and two, including Mississippi, voted to legalize medical marijuana, hit a wall this year.

While 68% of Americans support legalizing cannabis, there are caveats. When asked what impact they thought marijuana use had on society, 50 percent of Americans said it had a negative effect, while 49 percent said positive, according to a recent Gallup poll. Although most midterm voters in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota voted „no“ to adult use, Azer points out that cannabis has „invaded“ the „deeper“ red states, with more than 40 percent of voters in each of those states voting for weed legalization. The fact that Missouri, a Republican state, voted yes in its adult vote is a good indicator that marijuana legalization is bipartisan. For years, the DPA has been at the forefront of reducing marijuana-related arrests in New York State and legalizing marijuana for adults. Our Start SMART NY campaign fought to end marijuana prohibition in New York City and create a new, well-regulated and inclusive marijuana industry rooted in racial and economic justice. In March 2021, Governor Cuomo signed the legalization of marijuana after the state legislature overwhelmingly approved the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA). It was a surprise that South Dakota`s vote was lost, which voted to legalize adult cannabis in 2020, but was later overturned by the Supreme Court. Azer called the failure of the initiative an „upheaval.“ Only two of the five state election initiatives calling on voters to legalize cannabis for adults passed in Tuesday`s midterm elections. Next week, a bipartisan congressional subcommittee will hold a hearing on the decriminalization of cannabis.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who have introduced legislation to legalize marijuana, will host a hearing to examine the potential benefits of cannabis decriminalization at the federal level. The hearing will discuss racial differences in marijuana law enforcement and give the cannabis industry greater access to the traditional financial system. Voters in three of America`s conservative strongholds — Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota — opposed voting measures that proposed legalizing marijuana for adults. Voters in Maryland and Missouri have passed legalization initiatives. There are now 21 states that have legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older. Colorado and Washington approved recreational marijuana measures for adults in 2012.

Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia followed in the fall of 2014. In 2015, Ohio voters rejected an election measure focused on the commercial production and sale of recreational marijuana. On November 8, 2016, voters in four states, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, approved adult recreational marijuana, while voters in Arizona rejected it. In 2018, Michigan voters approved „Proposition 1“ by a margin of 56% to 44% to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana in the state. In 2018, Vermont became the first state to legalize adult marijuana through the legislative process (rather than through a voting initiative). The Vermont law went into effect on July 1, 2018. In May 2019, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, House Bill 1438, and the governor signed the law into law in June. Recently, New Jersey (AB 21) legalized some personal uses, while marijuana was removed from Schedule I. In the 2020 election, South Dakota voters passed Amendment A (54%).

Shortly after the amendment was passed, it was challenged in court. On February 8, 2021, District Judge Christina Klinger ruled that the measure was unconstitutional. The following map summarizes cannabis policy in the states as of June 2021. „We`re happy — he says legalizing marijuana is not a given, it`s a deeply controversial issue,“ Sabet said. „He can be defeated.“ Sabet says the failure of three out of five voting measures should not be taken lightly. He believes this is a sign that many Americans don`t like the direction this country is taking with legalization. „Given these realities, these hurdles have always been difficult to overcome, but they do not indicate a slowdown in domestic momentum or buyers` remorse in the American public,“ Armentano said. (SB46 of 2021 created a new medical cannabis law enacted on May 17, 2021 and listed in Table 1.) Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who served as director of the Drug Enforcement Administration under President George W. Bush, led the state`s opposition to legalization, saying it was „the wrong direction for Arkansas.“ Gov.

elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as former President Donald Trump`s press secretary at the White House, also objected.