State of Marijuana

Slowly but surely, marijuana is starting to be legalized in more and more states, or at least it is a matter seriously discussed by local authorities. In many states, people have voted for the legalization of marijuana. Of course, not all states have voted to legalize marijuana recreationally, but instead have chosen to approve medicinal use. In the states with the large populations, like Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, and California, voters opted for the relaxation of regulatory laws. Aside from Florida, the aforementioned states had a majority of votes for the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Instead, Florida voted to expand the qualifying conditions for medicinal use.

Back in 1996, California was the first state in the US that legalized the use of medicinal use of marijuana. Even then, only recently were its inhabitants allowed to own and even grow small quantities. Also, in 2012, Washington and Colorado joined in, legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. As recent polls showed, there is a growing number of citizens in favor of legalization. One poll showed that 60% of the adults in America are supportive when it comes to marijuana legalization, compared to the 40% that supported this initiative in 2009.

Washington D.C. and other four states have legalized marijuana in the mean time, while 21 more states are permitting doctors to prescribe it for certain health conditions. In some states, the jail sentence of carrying around small amounts of marijuana has been eliminated. Of course, the situation is not as favorable in some states. For instance, Arizona plans to reject this idea. States like Maine would like to allow recreational marijuana to be legal. In states like North Dakota, Arkansas, and Montana, most voters showed their support in making medical marijuana legal.

A higher number of people are supporting legalization after noticing marijuana's ability to alleviate the symptoms of some illnesses, like epilepsy, and in reducing stress. Instead of using traditional pharmaceutical pills for relief, people are opting for something that has lower side-effects and risks.