Voters in Maine and Massachusetts approved ballot measures legalizing marijuana across the board Tuesday, following victories in California and Nevada.
A ballot for legalization in Arizona failed to pass, but Marijuana advocates are heartened by their broad ballot victories.
“Marijuana legalization has arrived on the East Coast,” Tom Angell, chairman of the Marijuana Majority, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “What Colorado and other states have already done is generating revenue, creating jobs and reducing crime, so it’s not surprising that voters in more places are eager to end prohibition.”
Question 4 in Massachusetts passed with 54 percent, making it the first state on the east coast to legalize recreational marijuana. Legalization previously hit the east coast in Washington, D.C., however the law remains in limbo due to legal roadblocks. It is unclear how many voters supported the initiative in Maine, but the ballot legalizing weed for recreational use is projected to pass, reports Business Insider.
Recreational marijuana legalization passed in Nevada with 54 percent supporting the ballot and 46 percent opposing. Residents in California passed Proposition 64 by a larger margin, with 56 percent of voters supporting the ballot.
Proposition 64, which was expected to pass, will allow anyone over 21 to possess one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their home. A 15 percent tax on all marijuana sales could earn the state more than $1 billion in annual revenue.
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