Missouri voters, who approved medical marijuana in 2018, went further on Tuesday by passing a ballot initiative that legalizes cannabis for recreational use. With 89 percent of ballots reported, 53 percent of voters had said yes to Amendment 3, which amends the Missouri constitution to "remove state prohibitions on purchasing, possessing, consuming, using, delivering, manufacturing, and selling marijuana for personal use" by adults 21 or older. The initiative also "allow[s] persons with certain marijuana-related non-violent offenses to petition for release from incarceration or parole and probation and have records expunged."
Prior to this year's elections, 37 states had approved marijuana for medical purposes, and 19 of them also had legalized recreational use. The Missouri results raise the latter number to 21, since Maryland voters also approved recreational legalization on Tuesday.
