Recreational cannabis use is now set to be legal across 21 US states and Washington D.C. following approval votes in Maryland and Missouri.
Five states placed adult-use measures on the ballot, in varying forms, during this week's midterm elections. Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota each turned the proposal down.
Medicinal cannabis was already permitted in all five jurisdictions prior to the vote.
Under Maryland's approved measure, adults aged 21 and over may legally possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis or two plants beginning July 1, 2023. The law also allows for the expungement of arrest records related to possession and opens the door for reviewing the sentences of those currently imprisoned on related charges.
A dedicated cannabis business assistance fund will be created to support small, minority-owned, and women-owned businesses entering the market. State lawmakers will now take up the questions of licensing and taxation.
At 82% of votes counted, 65.6% supported the measure, compared to 34.4% opposed.
In Missouri, adults aged 21 and over will be permitted to buy and possess up to three ounces of cannabis and cultivate as many as six plants at home.
A 6% sales tax will be directed toward the automatic expungement of certain non-violent cannabis convictions, veterans' healthcare, substance misuse treatment programs, and the public defender system.
Close to 150 new small business licences will be distributed through a lottery, supplementing the licences already granted for medicinal cannabis operations.
With 89% of ballots counted, 53.1% voted in favour of the measure, while 46.9% voted against.
At 95% of votes tallied, Arkansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected their respective measures by margins of 56.3% to 43.7%, 54.9% to 45.1%, and 52.9% to 47.1%.
Oklahoma voters will have their own opportunity to weigh in on the issue during a special election scheduled for March 2023.