Marijuana dominated at the ballot box this year. Voters in nine states voted on marijuana legalization measures yesterday: five on proposals to legalize recreational marijuana, and four on medical marijuana measures. While Arizona voters chose not to legalize recreational marijuana, California, Massachusetts and Nevada all passed recreational legalization measures (Maine is too close to call). And all of the states with an option to approve medical marijuana took it: Medical marijuana is now also legal in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota — which means that more than half the country has approved MMJ.

“High noon” is what the operators of Herbal Outfitters called their grand opening at midday October 29 in Valdez, Alaska. The historic event made Herbal Outfitters the first retail marijuana store to open in Alaska since residents voted to legalize recreational use two years ago.

When you hear the name Valdez, you might picture Juan Valdez and his horse showing up uninvited first thing in the morning with a steaming cup of Colombian coffee. Or you might remember the name from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, caused by an alcohol-saturated captain sleeping one off as his third mate ran the Exxon Valdez oil tanker into a reef. But if you’ve ever been to Valdez, Alaska, you know that it’s a small port town located in south central Alaska, surrounded by snowcapped mountains, with a population of a little over 4,000 people and now the state’s first marijuana store.

What public statements have Colorado’s candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives made about marijuana, rescheduling and research? Here’s our rundown.

U.S. Senate Candidates

Michael Bennet (D)
Incumbent Michael Bennet faces challenges from seven nominees from a variety of parties. Along with 27 other senators, Bennet wrote a letter to President Barack Obama asking for his assistance in removing the administrative barriers to scientific research on medical marijuana. “As states have attempted to expand access to medical treatments for their citizens, the federal government has a responsibility to act in a manner that allows patients to benefit from research on those treatments,” the senators said. “Until we have comprehensive scientific research on the medical risks and benefits of cannabis and its derivatives, we will continue to debate this issue on the basis of outdated ideology instead of modern science.”

It’s just a matter of time until the nation embraces recreational use of marijuana, according to a Gallup studyreleased Wednesday morning.

“As more states legalize marijuana, the question of whether the drug should be legal may become when it will be legal,” Gallup reports.