The 2016 presidential election was probably the most significant, controversial and impactful of our lifetimes. The outcome was not ideal for many, and the resulting hateful rhetoric is uncalled for and appalling. While we did not see the historic day of electing the first woman president, we did have some wins that are being overlooked. One of those, among many others including wins for women of color, is the resulting legalization of recreational and medical marijuana.

While most of the country, and probably most of the world, watched the news coverage of the election, what we mainly focused on was how many states went blue and how many went red. The resulting electoral votes that decided which candidate would become our nation's next president was obviously an important and central part of the election. However, we weren't just voting for president. Nine US states voted on marijuana on Tuesday - a step in the right direction according to marijuana supporters.

Among states voting on the recreational legalization of the plant Tuesday, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, all of them approved the bill. Additionally, among four other states voting on initiatives for medical marijuana - Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota - all but Montana approved. This is a huge step forward in the way of shedding light on the positive effects of the drug.

Other than these wins for marijuana decreasing the negative stereotypes and incorrect assumptions about the plant, it will also likely have a significant economic impact on the states that approved the initiatives. Following the approval of the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado and Washington in 2012, both states have benefited enormously from the retail sales of the drug.

In 2014, Colorado saw an almost seven million dollar profit from marijuana product sales, and almost $100 million in 2015. Additionally, they saw almost a 40% decrease in the black market marijuana industry. But the benefits don't stop there. The millions of dollars that the state brought in through retail marijuana sales not only stimulated their economy, but also increased employment, tourism, created jobs and benefited their school systems.

With the approval of both medical and recreational marijuana in seven more states on November 8th, marijuana revenue will increase the economies of those states as well. Assuming these new initiatives aren't overturned by our new president-elect, this will be a huge step in the right direction for sufferers of conditions such as PTSD, epilepsy, glaucoma, cancer, and many, many others, as well as for people who just enjoy the plant recreationally. So, regardless of your feelings about the outcome of the election, remember, we are making progress somewhere.