Marijuana legalization appeared on its way to passing easily at the polls in the District on Tuesday, putting the city at the vanguard of a nationwide movement that also saw Oregon and Alaska consider pro-pot initiatives on Election Day.
The most preliminary results, released shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m., showed 65 percent of voters favoring the initiative with 30 percent opposed among ballots cast in early voting and nine of 143 precincts reporting.
Many D.C. voters who took to the polls Tuesday framed their support of the initiative in terms of social justice, saying they favored legalization because it would bring an end to arrests and discrimination against marijuana users, specifically young black men.
Retiree Thornton Cain, 64, voted for the initiative because he said he is tired of hearing from young men in his community that they can’t get jobs after being tied up in the criminal justice system over minor drug offenses.
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