Oregon becomes first US state to decriminalize possession of hard drugs
Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota voted to legalize recreational marijuana in nationwide push to relax drug laws
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
A nationwide push to relax drug laws scored significant victories on Tuesday as four states voted to legalize marijuana, and Oregon became the first state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs. Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota passed state ballot measures to legalize recreational cannabis use, major victories in the movement to undo the harms of cannabis criminalization. The states join the District of Columbia and 11 other states that have already legalized adult use of cannabis, which remains illegal at the federal level in the US. The win puts New Jersey on the path to have the largest weed market on the east coast and one of the largest in the US. It also increases pressure on neighboring states, particularly New York, to follow suit.
