Tuesday’s election was a win for cannabis law reform efforts. The newly elected governors in New Jersey and Virginia campaigned for cannabis legalization and local cannabis ballot measures were approved by voters in Athens, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan.

New Jersey voters elected Phil Murphy to serve as the Garden State’s next governor on Tuesday. Murphy consistently argued in favor of cannabis legalization in his campaign. The Democrat had included a call to end cannabis prohibition in his primary election victory speech in June.

“The criminalization of marijuana has only served to clog our courts and cloud people’s futures, so we will legalize marijuana,” he said during his primary night victory speech. “And while there are financial benefits, this is overwhelmingly about doing what is right and just.”

This means New Jersey could be the next state to regulate cannabis and the first to do it via an act of legislature, instead of a ballot measure.

In Virginia, governor-elect Ralph Northam stressed on cannabis decriminalization in his campaign.

“We need to change sentencing laws that disproportionately hurt people of color. One of the best ways to do this is to decriminalize marijuana,” he wrote in a blog post. “African Americans are 2.8 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession in Virginia. The Commonwealth spends more than $67 million on marijuana enforcement – money that could be better spent on rehabilitation.”

Northam added he is in favor of expanding the state’s limited medical cannabis law and allowing industrial hemp.

Voters in Athens, Ohio overwhelmingly approved a measure to eliminate fines and court costs for possessing up to 200 grams of cannabis. Last year, similar depenalization measures were passed in other cities in Ohio.

Detroit has shown a strong support for cannabis legalization as well. In Wayne County, voters approved two ballot measures that would allow medical cannabis businesses to operate in more areas and stay open longer.

Looking ahead, Tuesday’s elections were positive for cannabis reformers. Next year, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah will be likely to qualify cannabis initiatives.