Four U.S. states legalize recreational marijuana

The movement for the legalization of recreational marijuana in the United States received its biggest boost in the election Tuesday Nov. 8, with the approval of its sale and use in four states, including California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada.

Four other entities approved initiatives to legalize medical marijuana: Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana.

Meanwhile, voters in Arizona, where medical marijuana is already sold, refused to approve legalization for recreational use.

A little more than 52 percent of Arizona voters opposed Proposition 205, although the official vote count will be known within a few days.

Following the election results, the sale and use of recreational marijuana will now be legal in eight states of the country, while medical cannabis will be available in 29 other states.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in California and three other entities in addition to Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska, where its sale and use is already legal, widens the gap between the federal government’s policy on this drug and the policies that different states are adopting.

According to analysts, this will increase pressure on Congress and the next administration headed by Republican Donald Trump to provide a solution.

Source: notimex.gob.mx