'Recreational use of marijuana' and gay marriage became legal in some U.S. states

'Recreational use of marijuana' and gay marriage became legal in some U.S. states last night in defiance of federal law, breaking new ground in the 2012 election.

'Recreational' use of marijuana and Gay Marriages become legal in some US States

Altering the course of U.S social policy, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote, while Washington state and Colorado set up a showdown with the Obama administration by legalizing recreational use of marijuana.

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Dating back to 1998, same-sex marriage has been rejected in all 32 states that have held popular votes on the issue.

Read more: Daily Mail

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The Top Pot Stories Of 2011 (SLIDESHOW)

[ via Huffington Post ] 30 Dec

It's been a tumultuous year for marijuana drug policy, from the federal government's crackdown on medical marijuana in California and the hundreds of shops forced to close, to the riots and lawsuits sparked by the federal action.

But even with or without legal changes, Americans haven't stopped using pot. The FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report revealed marijuana-related arrests were up last year. In 2010, police made 853,838 arrests for pot-related crimes -- more than half of drug arrests nationwide, and among the highest numbers of marijuana-related arrests ever reported by the bureau.

HuffPost has compiled a slideshow of the year's advances and setbacks in medical marijuana policy.

See the slide show Here

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