Did U.S. territory Guam just legalize medical marijuana? It looks to be headed that way, based on preliminary results being reported by Guam Pacific Daily News.
The news outlet shows about 56.4 percent of voters approving medical marijuana initiative Proposal 14A with 56 out of 58 precincts reporting. According to the newspaper, 18,674 voted yes and 14,453 voted no. Two precincts have yet to be counted.
If the numbers hold — and a number of other media outlets are already calling it a win — Guam will become the first U.S. territory to legalize medical marijuana.
Pro-legalization advocates are already cheering Guam as a positive signal for 2014’s marijuana election results.
“That’s great news, and a positive omen, for marijuana reform efforts across the country,” Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Guam is quite conservative politically, and home to a significant U.S. military presence, so this resounding victory is a confirmation of medical marijuana’s broad support across the political spectrum.”
Others fighting for legalization and normalization also hoped Guam was an omen of more to come — especially as results are tallied in Oregon, Alaska, Florida and Washington D.C.
“The marijuana majority is a truly global phenomenon,” Tom Angell, chairman of industry group Marijuana Majority said in a release. “People all across the world are ready to move beyond failed prohibition laws, especially when seriously ill patients are criminalized just for following their doctors’ recommendations.
“With these election results, U.S. territories stretching from Guam — where America’s day begins near the International Date Line — to Hawaii and Alaska have sensible laws that let patients use marijuana without fear of arrest. And this is just the beginning of a very big day. It’s likely that we’ll see other important marijuana reforms enacted today as election results come in from races across the U.S.”
