As the 2016 presidential election comes to an end, it leaves many with the bitter feeling of a Trump presidency.

While this may not have been the result that the majority of Americans were waiting for, it’s important to understand that this election has played a huge role in the further progression of marijuana legalization.

California, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Maine all passed measures for the recreational use of marijuana; Arizona being the one state of the five with a recreational measure that did not pass.

Arkansas, North Dakota and Florida voted to pass medical marijuana, while Montana voted to expand its existing medical marijuana law.

This means that 28 states now have some form of marijuana legalization, with seven of those states, and the District of Columbia, allowing recreational use.

The country is slowly making the decision to move forward with normalizing marijuana in society by not only acknowledging its medical benefits, but now its recreational benefits as well.

Like many controversial issues, many states have needed to recognize their own stance on issues and take action in order to gain the attention of the Federal government.

In fact, 35 states recognized same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriages are unconstitutional.

Once the majority of the country agrees to one specific stance of the issue, the Supreme Court or Federal government then usually acknowledges the issue.

Over half the country is now on board with some form of marijuana legalization and that population is only going to keep growing.

Considering that most of the world is still not ready to understand the complexities of marijuana as a medical or recreational substance, it’s still going to take sometime before the majority of our nation understands that marijuana isn’t a bad thing.

This is why many fear the regulations placed on marijuana amongst these states and why they may seem irrational.

The fact of the matter is, majority of people don’t know much about cannabis and these state measures are designed to test out what the majority of Americans clearly support in a way that would also make the non-supports feel safe.

While many of the measures raise concerns about safety, industrialization and medical interruptions, the success of these measures passing acts as a huge stepping stone to the end goal of marijuana legalization; To be able to appreciate and use cannabis which includes all it’s benefits without risk of penalty.