Updated on July 19th 2023
To learn the outcomes of the cannabis legalization measures discussed below, review the following summary of the 2021 election results.
We’ve heard 2020 described as “unprecedented” since the onset of the pandemic sent us lurching forward, ready or not, into an uncharted chapter of human history. While many record-breaking, unfamiliar and otherwise unexpected circumstances of the past year weren’t exactly positive, there were still a few wins worth celebrating. This is especially for the cannabis legalization movement. Last November, four U.S. states – Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota – voted to legalize cannabis for recreational adult use. A fifth state – Mississippi – legalized cannabis as a treatment option for approved medical conditions. This means that thirty-six states and the District of Colombia have now legalized medical marijuana, with sixteen of these legally granting adult residents aged twenty-one and older the right to recreational use.