Perspectives: Marijuana Legalization is On the Ballot In These Five States

This election year, voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota are voting on the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes. In Mississippi and South Dakota (on a separate ballot measure), voters can also cast their vote to legalize medical marijuana. Currently, marijuana is illegal at the federal level, though eleven states have also have legalized the possession and recreational use of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21. Several voices from the left and center point to the ballot measures as a reflection of a cultural shift in perspective when it comes to marijuana legalization, citing a 2019 Gallup poll which found that approximately two-thirds of Americans support legalization, and a Quinnipac University poll that showed 58 percent of participants supported legalization. Some left- and center-rated outlets framed the ballot measures as likely to pass, citing the polls as well as "past precedent." Some coverage from the right framed marijuana ballot measures as a Democratic Party effort "to swing the race."