The ultimate guide to marijuana legalization

• Five states voted on Tuesday to loosen restrictions on marijuana.
• New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota, and Montana all voted to legalize cannabis for all adults over the age of 21.
• South Dakota and Mississippi voted to establish medical-marijuana programs.
• Business Insider has put together a comprehensive ballot tracker, based on a variety of sources, to explain the various ballot measures. It's available exclusively to subscribers.

Cannabis legalization racked up a slew of victories in Tuesday's elections.

New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota, and Montana voted to legalize cannabis for all adults over the age of 21. South Dakota also voted to create a medical-cannabis program, as did Mississippi. It will take time for legalization to take effect in each of the states.

Colorado and Washington broke ground in 2012 as the first US states to legalize recreational cannabis. Thirteen states and Washington, DC, have now joined them. Medical marijuana will be legal in 35 states, meaning a majority of Americans will have some form of access to legal marijuana.

Ballot initiatives have played a major role in the spread of legal cannabis, and 13 of the states that legalized recreational marijuana did so through referendums.

Business Insider put together a ballot tracker to help you understand everything you need to know about the far-reaching implications of the cannabis measures voters approved.

To put the tracker together, we tapped a variety of sources to explain the nuances of each state's ballot measures, including analysts from the investment bank Cowen.

Click here to see the full map, along with insights like the timelines for legalization, market-size predictions, and exclusive analysis.

This article was updated on November 4 with election results.