Cannabis activists around the world have watched legalization measures in nine U.S. states this election season with some envy. Apart from Switzerland, no European country has provisions that allow voters to directly change laws via initiative, as many American states do. It’s a big reason why the politics around legalization are so different in Europe. How else are citizens supposed to address an issue most politicians don’t want to touch?

Last Sunday, around 150 activists, academics, and journalists, gathered in Leicester to attend the first Annual General Meeting of United Kingdom’s Cannabis Social Clubs. 

A cafe space in Leicester was transformed into a forum for political action, as those who attended hoped this meeting would be a step along the path to significant legislative changes in the UK. It is the first event of its kind in the UK, and, significantly, it was left unhindered by police or any other authorities – this in itself a sign of progress.

The year of 2016 may go down as a watershed for weed, the election when legalization shifted from being an experiment in the American West to something primed for the mainstream.

Nine states voted on marijuana-related measures—four related to medical marijuana and five to recreational—and as of late Tuesday evening, seven of them passed. One failed and one remained pending. The upshot is that more than half of the states in the U.S. now have comprehensive medical marijuana laws and roughly one fifth of the population lives in a place where adults 21 and older can legally consume weed for fun.

Four-year effort could become a permanent fixture in the future.

Following years of deliberation, the government has finally agreed to launch a trial assessing the possible legal use of medicinal cannabis by patients suffering from illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and spinal damage.

The Health Ministry revealed that 22 million kroner has been set aside for the four-year trial period, which will commence on 1 January 2018.

Will Donald Trump turn over a new leaf for the cannabis industry?

Arguably the oddest election of our times is now in the books. The voters have spoken, and the 45th president of the United States will be Donald Trump. This election was bound to be historic no matter who won, but it'll now be remembered as the point in history where Trump becomes the first person without any prior political or military background to ascend to the Oval Office.

Medical marijuana advocates saw big returns Tuesday night and Wednesday morning for ballot initiative 182, which would greatly expand the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday morning that the measure would pass. 

As of 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, voters favored the measure 238,602-183,923, with 422,525 ballots counted. The initiative was passing 56-43 percent at that time. 

The initiative got a boost from larger counties that reported partial results early. Missoula, Gallatin and Lewis and Clark counties showed strong leads for the initiative. 

Issue 6, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, has been passed by Arkansas voters.

Family Council President Jerry Cox released the following statement after amendment passed:

This fight is not over. The battle now shifts to the Arkansas Legislature.

Medical marijuana activists just won a surprise victory in North Dakota - that northwestern hotbed for progressive politics. State voters just approved the medical marijuana legalization initiative (Measure 5) by a wide margin, according to Politico. As of 11 pm ET, the yes vote led by nearly a two-to-one margin.

That means patients with HIV, Crohn's, PTSD, cancer or other qualifying conditions will soon be able to legally access medical marijuana.

Arizona's ballot measure to legalize marijuana trailed in early election results, and final unofficial tallies showed voters saying "no" to Proposition 205.

The race — which pitted business interests against the legal medical-marijuana industry backed by a pro-legalization group, the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project — echoed the 2010 effort to legalize medical marijuana, which narrowly prevailed. The tally of complete results was likely to take several days.

Republicans gathered at a downtown Phoenix hotel cheered the early results that showed Proposition 205 down.

Voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 64, making California the most populous state in the nation to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

The approval of the ballot measure creates the largest market for marijuana products in the U.S. It comes six years after California voters narrowly rejected a similar measure. Activists said passage would be an important moment in a fight for marijuana legalization across the U.S.

“We are very excited that citizens of California voted to end the failed policy of marijuana prohibition," said Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Assn. "Proposition 64 will allow California to take its rightful place as the center of cannabis innovation, research and development.”