MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cannabis debate in US rages with legalization claiming more states

Oregon, Alaska and Washington DC votes in referendums to legalize marihuana use

Residents of Oregon, Alaska, and the US capital Washington voted on Tuesday to legalize marijuana in key victories that could fuel the legalization movement as cannabis usage is increasingly recognized by the American mainstream.

 The Oregon and Alaska measures would legalize recreational pot use and usher in a network of retail pot shops similar to those operating in Washington state and Colorado, which in 2012 voted to become the first US states to allow marijuana use for fun.

A less far-reaching proposal in the District of Columbia to allow marijuana possession but not retail sales won nearly 65% of the vote with all precincts reporting, unofficial results showed.

The referendums come amid shifts in American opinions on marijuana in recent years that have energized efforts to legalize cannabis, a drug that remains illegal under federal law even as Colorado and Washington state have been given the go-ahead to experiment with legalization.

Advocates have portrayed the District of Columbia measure as a civil rights issue, saying studies have shown that African Americans are disproportionately more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges than are people of other races.

The DC measure had been strongly favored to pass but could still be halted during a review by the US Congress, which has constitutional oversight over the capital. The measure would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to two ounces (57 grams) of cannabis and grow up to six plants.

The Oregon law, which drew 54% support in preliminary returns, takes effect in July 2015 and stores could open the following year.

The Alaska measure led by about 52-48% with all precincts reporting preliminary results early on Wednesday, and groups for and against the initiative said it had passed.

“Marijuana prohibition has been an abject failure, and Alaska voters said enough is enough,” said Chris Rempert, political director of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, in a statement.

If given official approval, a regulatory body would have nine months to write regulations after the election is certified and the measure becomes law, with stores likely coming at some point in 2016.

Opponents of legal weed in Oregon say they would take their fight to the Oregon legislature, pushing for stricter laws designed to limit access to pot by children, among other efforts.

Meanwhile, a proposed constitutional amendment to make Florida the 24th state and the first in the South to allow medical marijuana was defeated after falling short of the 60% support needed to pass, according to groups both for and against the measure.

In Maine, a proposal to legalize the possession of small amounts of recreational marijuana failed in Lewiston and passed in South Portland, advocacy groups said. In Guam, unofficial results indicated it became the first US territory to approve medical marijuana, an election official there said.