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With these passages, recreational marijuana use is now legal in nearly half of the United States.

While the major focus of this week’s Midterm Elections was the appointment of new Governors, Senate members, and other lawmakers around the United States, multiple states also placed a variety of local issues and bills on the ballot. Two states in particular, Maryland and Missouri, offered up the matter of marijuana legalization on their ballots. This vote would determine whether state lawmakers would be able to officially regulate the production and sale of cannabis products.

With the votes tallied, it’s official: recreational adult marijuana usage is now legal in both Maryland and Missouri. To be specific, in Maryland, industry rules will be established regarding the sale of cannabis to adult consumers, while in Missouri, possession, usage, and sale of cannabis is legal for adults aged 21 or older.

“Maryland voters have overwhelmingly rejected the failed policy of prohibition and voted for the common sense policy of legalization,” said Erik Altieri, executive director of cannabis law reform nonprofit NORML, in a statement. “For far too many decades, Maryland’s prohibition has been an utter failure and which has had devastating consequences on already marginalized communities in the state. By voting for legalization, Marylanders have rejected the failed ideas of the past and have chosen to reform their laws to protect civil liberties and promote racial justice.”

#BREAKING — Maryland's recreational marijuana ballot question passes, per the Associated Press

MARYLAND ELECTION RESULTS: https://t.co/K6vC4Ze46A#mdpolitics #electionday pic.twitter.com/IQ49Sk8yAu

— WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (@wbaltv11) November 9, 2022

“Congratulations to the citizens of Missouri for taking it upon yourselves to bring the important question of adult-use cannabis to the ballot and showing up in droves to pass such important legislation,” said Justin Kahn, CEO and co-founder of cannabis coverage company Reepher. “Missouri continues down the path of normalizing cannabis consumption and we celebrate the Herculean effort that went into today’s victory.”