This week's question was, In what year did the first state legalize recreational marijuana?

You answered: 1997

The correct answer is: 2012

In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington approved ballot measures legalizing recreational marijuana.

Vermont was the first state to legalize marijuana through the legislature instead of a voter-approved ballot measure. It did so in 2018.

The following table provides information about when and how recreational marijuana became legal.

Timeline and process of recreational marijuana legalization
State	Year legalized	Process used	Vote
			For	Against
Colorado	2012	Initiative	55.32%	45.68%
Washington	2012	Initiative	55.7%	44.3%
Alaska	2014	Initiative	53.23%	46.77%
Oregon	2014	Initiative	56.11%	43.89%
Washington, D.C.	2014	Initiative	70.06%	29.94%
California	2016	Initiative	57.13%	42.87%
Maine	2016	Initiative	50.26%	49.74%
Massachusetts	2016	Initiative	53.66%	46.34%
Nevada	2016	Initiative	54.47%	45.53%
Michigan	2018	Initiative	55.89%	44.11%
Vermont	2018	Legislation	N/A	N/A
Illinois	2019	Legislation	N/A	N/A
Arizona	2020	Initiative	60.03%	39.97%
Montana	2020	Initiative	56.90%	43.10%
New Jersey	2020	Referral	67.08%	32.92%
New York	2021	Legislation	N/A	N/A

Thanks for your response!