In a resounding mandate for progressive marijuana reform, California and seven other states voted Tuesday in favor of initiatives allowing for some form of legalized cannabis.
In California, considered by experts to be the key nationally, 56 percent voted in support of full adult recreational legalization.
Voters in Massachusetts and Nevada also said yes to legalized, regulated cannabis. Medical marijuana initiatives passed in Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota.
The vote for full legalization is too close to call in Maine and an initiative to improve an existing medical marijuana program in Montana was too close to call.
Arizona so far is the only state that had marijuana on the ballot to vote against.
California joins Oregon and Washington on the West Coast with legal weed, creating a new Green Corridor.
"This vote will dramatically accelerate the end of federal marijuana prohibition," said Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, a drug policy reform organization. "This is the most important moment in the history of the marijuana legalization movement."
Tuesday's results signify a tipping point in the marijuana movement as more states now have stood firm against the federal government that still considers cannabis a Schedule I drug.
The American people have spoken and Tuesday's clear mandate should put increasing pressure for federal agencies to act.
Medical marijuana laws are now on the books in 28 states and more than 20 percent of Americans now live where adults can enjoy cannabis recreationally without fear of arrest. California, Massachusetts and Nevada now join Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. with full adult legalization.
The national marijuana mandate was a mere political footnote on night that saw Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, but the roar for federal marijuana reform was loud and clear.
The voting results will certainly accelerate a nascent industry which has been eagerly awaiting an economy the size of California to legalize.
The Marijuana Policy Group published a report crediting legal cannabis with bringing in nearly $2.5 billion to the Colorado's economy last year. And that's just in one state.
California's currently unregulated medical marijuana program brought in $2.7 billion in sales alone last year. By voting for recreational marijuana, the state is expected to reap an estimated $1 billion a year in new tax revenue from the retail sales. That does not take into account other sources of income such as tourism.
Nationally, the marijuana market has nearly tripled overnight. The market marijuana is projected to grow to $22 billion by 2020, up from $7 billion this year.
"This is the beginning of the conversation, not the end," Sabet said in a statement. "We will travel to California tomorrow to sit down with stakeholders ... and discuss next steps."
Despite those fears, cannabis enthusiasts across the nation were jubilant about Tuesday night's results.
"This represents a monumental victory for the marijuana reform movement," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, in a statement. "With California's leadership now, the end of marijuana prohibition nationally, and even internationally, is fast approaching."
Here is the state-by-state breakdown as of this writing:
Arkansas: Victory for medical marijuana
The law will allow medical marijuana for patients suffering from 17 qualifying conditions, including cancer, Crohn's disease, Alzheimer's disease and PTSD.
Arizona: Defeat for adult use
The state currently has a medical marijuana program.
California: Victory for adult use
Two new taxes will be levied, one on cultivation and the other on retail sales. Tax revenue will be spent on drug research, treatment, and enforcement, health and safety grants, youth programs and other social programs.
Florida: Victory for medical marijuana
The new law legalizes marijuana treatment for patients suffering from cancer; epilepsy; glaucoma; HIV/AIDs; post-traumatic stress disorder; ALS; Crohn's disease; Parkinson's disease; multiple sclerosis; "or other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class."
Maine: Full legalization leading
A medical marijuana program has been in place in Maine since 1999. Controversial Gov. Paul LePage was an ardent opponent of the initiative.
Massachusetts: Victory for adult use
The new law would go into effect on December 15.
Montana: Too close to call
Currently, the state has an onerous medical program which restricts marijuana providers to only three patients. I-182 will remove that restriction. The law would also give physicians more latitude to recommend cannabis for patients.
Nevada: Victory for adult use
Many investors have eyed Las Vegas as a major hub for the industry.
North Dakota: Victory for medical marijuana
Back to the Golden State
This was not the first time Californians had the chance to vote for full legalization. The Golden State, which was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1995, had the opportunity to be the first to fully legalize it in 2010. But that initiative went up in smoke. According to economists, California has missed out on collecting about a $5 billion in taxes since that vote.
Two years later, voters in Colorado and Washington blazed the trail for full-on legalization. These states have benefitted from millions of dollars in new taxes, used for schools, drug education and other social programs.
What does this mean nationally?
"The good news is that after this referenda, to some degree it's going to call the question, because if in fact it passed in all these states, you now have about a fifth of the country that's operating under one set of laws, and four-fifths in another," Obama told Bill Maher in an interview Friday night.
"The Justice Department, DEA, FBI, for them to try to straddle and figure out how they're supposed to enforce laws in some places and not in others -- they're going to guard against transporting these drugs across state lines, but you've got the entire Pacific corridor where this is legal -- that is not going to be tenable," the outgoing president said.