With the mid-term elections on Tuesday 6 November, American voters are sending a strong signal to Donald Trump, reversing the balance of power in Congress with the victory of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. An important undertaking, even if not completed by the - more difficult - conquest of the Senate which remains firmly in Republican hands, where they actually gain a few seats. A great rift among voters is thus evident, which fully reflects the social dualism that America has been experiencing in recent years (and perhaps the entire world): on the one hand the ultra-conservative population of the average white worker from the central states, on the other, the desire for renewal and equality, also highlighted by some historic victories such as Rashida Tlaib , the first Muslim woman elected to congress (Michigan) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , the youngest woman elected in American history.
If the American socio-political dualism is so evident, the population appears united towards the legalization of marijuana. In fact, recent polls show that regardless of social class, religion and ethnicity, more than 62% of Americans say they are in favor of forms of cannabis legalization, with peaks reaching up to 80% in some states.
During Tuesday's elections, in fact, four states also voted in favor of the legalization of hemp, with exceptional results: Michigan became the tenth state to legalize marijuana also for recreational purposes (for over 21s), while both Missouri and Utah have passed measures to legalize medical marijuana, while North Dakota has failed.
Now a total of 33 states have some measure of legalization, representing about a fifth of the US population.
Marijuana legalization is sweeping the United States : In June, Oklahoma voted to legalize medical marijuana, joining numerous other states that already have laws on the matter. Ten other states, including California and Colorado, have legalized the possession and sale of marijuana to all adults over the age of 21.
It's also one of the few hot-button topics with widespread support. According to a recentPew Research poll, 62% of Americans support the legalization of recreational marijuana, including 74% of millennials .
And 2018 was a banner year for marijuana legalization in North America. In October, Canada legalized marijuana at the federal level, becoming the first of seven countries to do so. Mexico 's supreme court ruled in October that the marijuana ban was unconstitutional, paving the way for the country's new leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to follow Canada's lead.
Here are the details of the votes and related measures, state by state:
Michigan
Michigan voters approved Proposition 1, making the state the first in the Midwest to legalize the possession and sale of marijuana for all adults over the age of 21. The bill would allow adults to possess up to 2.5 ounces (about 70g) of marijuana and allow residents to grow up to 12 plants at home.
The law is more lax than other states with legal marijuana: Most only allow residents to possess up to an ounce at a time.
Utah
Utah voters approved Proposition 2, a measure that allows residents with qualifying illnesses to legally access medical marijuana.
Opponents and supporters of the bill agreed that the Utah Legislature would meet in a special session in November to craft a more restrictive version of the medical marijuana law.
Missouri
Missouri residents voted Tuesday to approve Amendment No. 2, which legalizes medical marijuana and sets the tax at 4%.
Missouri residents faced a strange situation where residents voted on three separate related initiatives.
Amendment 2, which passed, proposed a 4 percent tax, while Amendment 3 would have raised the tax to 15 percent to support the creation of a state agency called the Institute of Biomedical Research and Drug Development that sought cures for illnesses.
North Dakota
North Dakota voted against one of its most permissive legal marijuana policies on Tuesday. The measure would have placed no limits on possession and legalized the marketing of marijuana without creating a regulatory framework, according to The Washington Post .
This represents a big step forward, not only for the States, but for what is a "green wave" at an international level, which is gaining more and more strength. In Italy, where the population is starting to draw the first benefits from the " New Hemp Economy ", capable of creating new jobs and income for the state coffers (in addition to the environmental advantages for the return to agriculture), approximately 90% of people say they are in favor of the sale and consumption of light hemp (with THC lower than 0.6%, but with CBD), while 66% are in favor of its "standard" sister ( here are the results of a recent survey), i.e. with THC > 0.6%.
And what do you think about it?
