Voters around the U.S. Approve Tougher Drug Penalties, Reject Recreational Marijuana Measures

In state and local elections last week, voters approved tougher drug penalties and rejected measures to legalize recreational marijuana and psychedelics, The New York Times reports.

Voters in San Francisco, one of the most progressive cities in the country, elected a mayor who has pledged to move aggressively against drug dealers, while voters in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota rejected measures to legalize marijuana. Massachusetts voters rejected a measure that would have allowed possession and use of some psychedelics.

New measures enacted earlier this year in cities and states across the country, including Idaho, West Virginia and Philadelphia, clamped down on programs distributing safe drug supplies such as sterile syringes, the article notes.

Voters in California this election approved increasing prison sentences for selling drugs and charging those with repeat possession convictions with a felony instead of a misdemeanor. The felony may be dismissed if the person completes court-ordered treatment.