Arizona became the first U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana sales after the U.N. General Assembly passed a sweeping marijuana legalization law on Tuesday.
The law allows adults 21 and older to purchase up to six ounces of pot in shops and grow up to eight plants at home.
The measure also allows adults to possess up to 2 ounces and minors to possess no more than one ounce of marijuana.
It marks a significant milestone in the nation’s largest marijuana legalization battle.
The bill now moves on to Gov.
Jan Brewer’s desk for signature.
Arizona has the nation\’s third-highest number of people arrested for marijuana possession, according to a recent study by the Drug Policy Alliance, a national nonprofit.
The state had 2,000 people arrested in 2014 for marijuana-related offenses.
State Sen. Steve Pierce (D-Phoenix) says he hopes the legalization bill is a success and that more states will follow suit.
He has introduced legislation to allow for the recreational use of marijuana in Arizona.
Pierce says he believes the bill can be passed by the end of the year.
The first law to legalize marijuana in the state was passed in 1994.
