Marijuana and Criminal Justice Reform Advance in Key States
*By Chloe Aiello*
Michigan became the first Midwestern state to fully legalize recreational marijuana on Tuesday ー one of four states with marijuana-related legislation on the ballot in the 2018 midterms. Marijuana was one of the key issues up for review on multiple state ballots on Election Day Tuesday alongside criminal justice reform.
Michigan voters approved Proposition 1, granting all cannabis enthusiasts 21 or older access to the drug, as well as the right to possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana and grow 12 plants in their homes. In Utah, a traditionally conservative state, voters approved Proposition 2, which allows people with certain illnesses to acquire medical cannabis and in some cases, grow up to six plants for personal use. In Missouri, voters had three chances to pass medical marijuana at various tax rates. Voters passed Amendment 2, which will tax marijuana at 4 percent and apply those revenues to health care and veteran services.
North Dakota was a bit of a different story. Voters overwhelmingly rejected legalizing recreational marijuana, voting down a measure that would have also erased certain prior marijuana-related convictions from the records of offenders.
Marijuana wasn't the only major ballot initiative up for review on Tuesday.
Florida and Louisiana both had ballot initiatives that addressed criminal justice reform. Florida voters passed Amendment 4, which gives convicted felons the right to vote after completing their sentences ー so long as they are not convicted murderers or felony sex offenders. Louisiana now gives convicted felons the right to seek public office five years after completing their sentence. Oregon voters rejected an effort to repeal the state's sanctuary status, meaning police cannot arrest illegal immigrants there unless they violating the law.
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The Biden administration is finalizing a new rule that would cut federal funding for colleges that leave graduates with low pay and high debt after graduating.
