Michigan just legalized recreational weed.
Nice! We have recreational weed here, but I'm not sure anyone cares. It was decriminalized (below certain amounts) and it was nearly impossible to get in major trouble for it. It stayed that way for years - and that's how it was when I got here. Everyone smoked back then. They still smoke. So, I'm not actually sure that it changed anything - except you no longer get a fine if you're caught with weed. (They used to pop me at least once a year, 'cause I smoke pot and do stupid stuff like leave it sitting on the passenger seat. I called it my pot tax.)
Like every other state that has legalized it, we will see a major increase in use for the first year or so. But once the novelty wears off, it will drop down to normal levels.
It's just nice that we don't have to worry about getting jail time and fines over weed.
I have absolutely no way to prove this. So, please just consider it an anecdote and I'm working with a trivial sample size.
I'm not sure that the increase in use for the first year is actually even real. In my observations, the same people still smoked - they just felt more comfortable talking about it and admitting they smoked.
Again, that's just what I have observed and it's a very small sample.
It looks like Maine has grown tired of Republicans. We tried 'em for a couple of terms, but they're being ousted.
All the bond measures passed, except for one. The one that didn't pass is the one that I was most hopeful for. We have an aging population in Maine, and not all of us can afford things like home health care. This would have provided that, regardless of income - for all people, but needed a 3.4% increase in income tax. So, that didn't pass. It wasn't for my own personal interests that I wanted it to pass. It was 'cause Maine has a lot of old poor people. I'd be quite happy to pay the additional tax.
Err... As I've oft stated, I don't mind taxes. I love paying my taxes. I think I should be taxed at a higher rate.
I absolutely am disgusted by how they spend my taxes, however. That's just not okay.