CNN
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Oklahoma voters head to the polls Tuesday to conclude a special election on legalizing recreational marijuana, potentially becoming the 22nd state to authorize its use among adults.
The vote in Oklahoma — where medical marijuana was legalized by voters in 2018 — reflects how the issue now transcends politics as well as geography, as Americans’ attitudes on the subject have moderated in recent years.
Recent polls show the majority of Americans now say they support legal marijuana. As attitudes shift, lawmakers show more willingness to make changes on the issue: five of the seven states to legalize recreational use in the last two years have done so legislatively.
Should the ballot measure pass, Oklahoma would be the latest state to exemplify how policies on the issue have changed — even in red states. Two-thirds of Americans were opposed to legalization two decades ago. That has now reversed.
If its measure is adopted, Oklahoma would be the fourth state with recreational marijuana that voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Polling by Gallup shows that a majority of Republicans now support legalization, after decades of opposing the idea, reflecting a broader shift in the population.
Oklahoma is one of 37 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have a comprehensive medical cannabis program,…