Though the results of the election may or may not have shaken you to the core depending on your political views, very progressive legislation has been approved in the states of California, Nevada, and Massachusetts. Voters from these three states have approved the legalization and recreational use of marijuana for people ages 21 and older.

The United States now has seven states (and the District of Columbia) that have approved recreational cannabis, which is a huge step forward toward the federal decriminalization of the drug, as Massachusetts is the first east coast state to legalize.

Even the more conservative states of Montana, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Florida have approved the prescription and usage of marijuana for medical reasons. Arizona had legalization on the ballot, but it was voted to remain only legal for medical use by a 52-48 margin.

As of November 2016, twenty-eight U.S. states have either approved cannabis for medical or recreational use, meaning more than half of the country acknowledges keeping it illegal is fruitless and a thing of the past.

This being said, the election of Donald Trump along with the newly conservative federal government could be bad news for these states. One reason the progressive reforms have been so successful is due to the Obama Administration’s laissez-faire approach to the drug. It is uncertain whether Trump’s appointed attorney general will begin to crack down on these laws or maintain the oversight of the past administration.

In my opinion, the legalization of the drug should be up to the states. If a majority of residents agree that they want to live in a place where they can burn it and not worry about the Feds, they absolutely have the right to do so. The federal government has far more important things to worry about than peoples decision about sparking up a doobie.