Washington D.C., Oregon, Alaska voters pass pro-marijuana laws, amendment fails in Florida

While the shift in political power was the focus of last night’s midterm elections, there were also several major ballot measures voters had to decide on. Voters in Washington D.C., Oregon and Alaska passed pro-marijuana laws, although voters in Florida rejected a state amendment to allow for medical marijuana.

The Oregon measure will make the state the third with a legalized marijuana market, following Colorado and Washington state.

According to CNN, the D.C. measure is a bit less extreme. It will allow marijuana users to have up to two ounces of marijuana for personal use and they can grow six cannabis plants. However, you cannot sell it to another person.

Since D.C. isn’t a state, Congress could actually overrule the D.C. measure. After all, marijuana use is still outlawed at the federal level.

Alaska is also joining Oregon, Washington state and Colorado in legalizing recreational use of marijuana, although it was a very close vote. The Anchorage Daily News reports that it only passed 52 percent to 48.

Meanwhile, the Sunshine State’s medical marijuana measure failed. Since it was an amendment to the state’s constitution, it required 60 percent of the vote and fell three percentage points shy of that mark.

Check out other election results here.