Next year could see a huge shift in favor of green, and we’re not talking about the environment.
Lawmakers have taken notice of the shift in public opinion on marijuana legalization, and many are no longer afraid that supporting legal weed is political suicide. There are now eight states and the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana, and four of those laws were enacted in the past year alone.
“As medical marijuana grew, we saw that support for legalization has increased at an accelerating pace,” says David Borden, executive director of StoptheDrugWar.org, which advocates for better drug policy. “People have seen that the sky hasn’t fallen … People are getting used to it.”
Recent legalizations are an encouraging sign that other states could hastily follow. However, all legalization directives up to this point have not come from governing bodies, but instead from statewide referendums and initiatives that appear on voting ballots after citizens have lobbied for them. There are only 26 states that allow residents to choose the initiatives that go on the statewide ballot.
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Some states’ efforts are looking more promising than others due to newly elected lawmakers, changing public opinion, and major grassroots movements.
Read More: Will your state be the next to legalize marijuana? Here’s 5 that are close