New Jersey, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota voted on Tuesday to approve ballot measures legalizing the use of marijuana, adding to the growing list of states where the drug is legal.
In Montana, voters approved a measure and constitutional amendment to legalize the possession, purchase, and consume cannabis for adults over the age of 21. The measure will be put into effect on January 1, 2021.
South Dakota became the first state to legalize medical and recreational marijuana at the same time. Marijuana will remain illegal in the state until July 1, 2021.
In New Jersey and Arizona, voters approve approved the legalization of recreational marijuana. New Jersey set an effective date of January 1, 2021, while Arizona’s effective date is still unclear.
Voters in Oregon, where marijuana has been legal since 2014, voted in favor of a ballot measure approving the therapeutic use of psilocybin, an ingredient most commonly found in psychedelic mushrooms. Legalized medical use is set to arrive by 2022.
In addition, the state became passed a measure decriminalizing possession of hard drugs in small amounts. This includes heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone, and others, making Oregon the first state nationwide to begin decriminalizing possession.
