The Grind:
Voters in Missouri and Maryland on Tuesday voted to legalize recreational marijuana, further loosening state pot laws for more than 12 million Americans, even though the drug is still illegal at the federal level and is classified as a Schedule 1 substance.
Maryland overwhelmingly approved the legalization of marijuana — 65% of voters were for it after two-thirds of the state’s votes were counted by early Wednesday morning.
The Details:
On the ballot, voters were asked, “Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?”
“It’s historic to see that Maryland, right on the doorstep of our nation’s capital in DC, has legalized adult recreational use of cannabis,” said Luis Merchan, chairman and CEO of cannabis cultivator Flora Growth. “With this much momentum, we strongly urge the federal government to start to raise action to allow safe banking access and lift other restrictions to a thriving industry, which is poised to help U.S. consumers and bring in tax revenue as well.”
Missouri’s ballot measure was extremely close, as votes were counted late Tuesday. However, with 99.9% of votes in early Wednesday, it passed with 53% support. That ballot measure will remove bans on the “purchase, possession, consumption, use, delivery, manufacture, and sale of marijuana for personal use for adults over the age of twenty-one.” Read more…