[Image: Getty].

But seriously, what will it mean for the so-called war on drugs?

Will it demonstrate that marijuana is not the ‘gateway drug’ it has been accused of being, if it is legalised for recreational use?

What are the implications for medical research?

And what do we think about it over here in the UK, where it was recently upgraded back to a level ‘B’ status after a brief period as a category ‘C’ drug?

On Election Day, five states—California, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada—will vote on making marijuana a legal recreational drug. In three others—Florida, Arkansas, and North Dakota—voters will decide if they want to legalize medical marijuana. In Montana, voters will decide whether or not to ease restrictions on their medical marijuana system.

Voters in California will decide on Proposition 64, a measure that would allow folks 21 ages and up use the drug recreationally. The prop would regulate a 15 percent sales tax and the drug’s cultivation would also be taxed. Most of the profits would go to researching the drug and enforcing regulations.

In Arizona, Proposition 205, would enact laws similar to other states, and residents would be permitted to possess up to 1 ounce and grow up to six plants on their property.

Voters in Maine can legalize the drug for recreational use with Question 1 and place a 10 percent sales tax on the drug. Residents would be required to use marijuana in non-public places. However, Maine’s governor isn’t down with legalizing weed and has even called it deadly.

In Massachusetts, Question 4 would legalize marijuana and allow the commonwealth to regulate use and place taxes on the drug. Residents 21 years and up would be able to use and grow the drug. They would be permitted to keep less than 10 ounces in their homes and less than 1 ounce in public.

Voters in Nevada will decide on Question 2, a proposal that would allow people over 21 years old to possess and grow marijuana. The measure would also authorize marijuana retail stores and testing facilities to open up shop. Forty-seven percent of residents support the measure, according to a recent poll by Bendixen & Amandi International.

Source: Five states can vote to legalize marijuana on Election Day | The Independent

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