Washington, November 4: Along with the high-stake presidential elections, voting was also held in five provinces in the United States to legalise marijuana for recreational and medical use. At least four among those states have voted "yes" in the referendum. They join 11 other American provinces where the cannabis plant drug is not illegal. Oregon Becomes First US State to Decriminalise Possession of Small Quantity of Illegal Drugs For Personal Use.

The five states where the referendum was held are: Arizona, New Jersey, South Dakota, Mississippi and Montana. While the bulk of ballots were yet to be counted in Montana, the US media networks have announced the results for the four other states.

Arizona and New Jersey, where voters were asked to decide whether marijuana should be allowed for recreational purpose, overwhelmingly voted yes. 59.8 percent voters in Arizona and 66.9 percent in New Jersey voted in favour of legalising the drug, reports said.

In South Dakota, the voters were asked whether marijuana should be legalised for both recreation and medicinal use. 53.4 percent of the total voters have pressed for the "yes" ballot.

Mississippi, where the referendum was only for the medical purpose use of the drug, 67.93 percent of the voters opted for its approval.

Political leaders and activists in several other provinces of the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Mexico, are calling for legalisation of the soft drug for recreation and medicinal use. The positive outcome of referendum in the above four states is expected to pave way for similar measures in other provinces.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 04, 2020 07:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).