World News – United States – US Voters Support Legal Marijuana, $ 15 Minimum Wage, Block Abortion Ban

A member of the Pinellas County Prospecting Council processes ballots on election day in Largo, Florida, US November 3, 2020 / Reuters

US voters pushed to legalize marijuana, blocked the abortion ban, and took action to atone for the country’s turbulent past, even as most eyes were on the presidential race

Four more US states will legalize marijuana, after voters backed voting initiatives in their favor on Tuesday

New Jersey, Arizona and Montana will join just 11 other states plus the District of Columbia in allowing recreational use of the drug, while South Dakota has scored a rare double, dropping from one state which did not allow any use of marijuana to one where it will soon be legal for medical and recreational purposes

The legalization of marijuana has seen a major boom since Colorado and Washington became the first two states to allow it for recreational use in 2012

Meanwhile, Oregon became the first state to legalize psilocybin mushrooms – better known as magic mushrooms – for mental health therapy, according to a New York Times vote tally

Another initiative passed in Oregon will decriminalize possession of certain drugs in small amounts and establish a publicly funded drug treatment and recovery program – the first state to do so

Some 120 initiatives have been voted in 32 states, with the right to vote, abortion and racial justice among some of the thorniest issues to consider

Voters in Louisiana have come out overwhelmingly in favor of adding wording to their state’s constitution that would make it clear that it does not protect the right to abortion In Colorado, however, they blocked an attempt to ban abortions after 22 weeks

In Rhode Island, votes to shorten the state’s name to remove a reference to its slave past were slightly in the lead Although commonly referred to as Rhode Island, its official name is the state of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsAmid a nationwide racial justice debate in light of the Black Lives Matter protests, the state governor removed the term « Providence Plantations » from official documents earlier this year

Mississippi overwhelmingly backed a new flag after the previous one, which featured the controversial Confederate battle flag, long associated with slavery and racism, was withdrawn in June Nebraska and Utah will also remove the laws obsolete but still existing constitutions which allowed slavery and involuntary servitude as criminal punishment

Meanwhile in Florida, voters have backed a measure that will raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2026, more than double the current federal minimum wage of $ 725 This will put it in line with states like California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York, which are already moving towards $ 15 an hour.

And in a bid to expand voting rights, California, which had more initiatives on its ballot than any other state (12), will now allow criminals still on parole to vote before they finish their pain

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