Voters in five states could legalize recreational marijuana through ballot measures Tuesday, as more parts of the country move to allow access to the drug that remains illegal federally.

Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri and Arkansas all have legal pot referendums that could change state law for more than 17 million people in those states.

Maryland

Maryland voters will decide whether to amend their constitution to make marijuana legal. On the ballot, voters will be asked, "Do you favor the legalization of the use of cannabis by an individual who is at least 21 years of age on or after July 1, 2023, in the State of Maryland?"

As the only blue state with a marijuana-related ballot question this cycle, Maryland is considered the most likely to see its measure pass. 

North Dakota

Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in North Dakota have been ongoing for years – a 2018 ballot measure on the issue failed. The state legislature in 2021 also toyed with the idea of legalizing marijuana via statute, though it eventually did not act.

However, activists this year again got the issue of marijuana legalization on the ballot in the Peace Garden State.

"It would allow for the production, processing, and sale of cannabis and the possession and use of various forms of cannabis by individuals who are 21 years of age and older," a summary of the measure on the North Dakota Secretary of State website says.

It would also, "direct a state entity to regulate and register adult-use cannabis production businesses, dispensaries, and their agents."