In 2018, 21 states considered bills for the legalization of marijuana for adult use. But only three states actually implemented a new marijuana policy.
But this year, many more states are expected to legalize. Read on to learn about the next states to legalize in 2019.
Connecticut
The governor elected in Connecticut, Ned Lamont, campaigned on the platform that marijuana legalization time has come. He has stated that he wants to make legalization a priority this year.
Another good sign for marijuana efforts is the fact that many of the people opposed to marijuana legalization were voted out of the legislature in the 2018 election.
Illinois
J.B. Pritzker is a billionaire who made legalizing marijuana a central tenant of his campaign for governor of Illinois. He won and is now working as quickly as possible to put legislation in place that will legalize the sale of marijuana to adults over 21.
The state house speaker has also stated he is on board with this plan, and there isn’t expected to be any pushback against the efforts. Illinois is very excited to see the new tax revenue that will come with legal marijuana.
Minnesota
Minnesota replaced its antilegalization governor with Tim Walz, a Democrat who has pledged to use marijuana as a way to increase tax revenues and grow jobs.
While many people already use CBD oil since it is already legal in all 50 states, this new legalization will be able to help a lot more people.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire’s governor is opposed to marijuana legalization, but Democrats took control of both their house and senate during the midterm elections. The house speaker believes there is enough support in the chambers to override any veto from the governor.
New Jersey
The New Jersey governor elected in 2017 for the first time campaigned on a platform of marijuana legalization. There has been debate over what kind of tax rate they will use, what regulatory structures will be in place, and what exactly the bill will say. But the issue is expected to be decided in the next year.
New Mexico
New Mexico elected Michelle Lujan Grisham who supports marijuana legalization. She was previously a member of Congress where she also shared her opinion on the issue.
New York
New York has been expected to legalize for years. But it wasn’t until this year that they put together a task force to draft legislation. They also have directed their Health Department to study the potential negative impacts of legalization. With caution, they could legalize in 2019.
More of the Next States to Legalize in 2019
While the states on this list are the closest to legalization, the next states to legalize in 2019 could really be any of them. There is already a ton of support for both the medical and recreational cannabis movements across the country since they offer a needed source of tax revenue for many struggling state governments.
And if you live in one of those states and want to get high today, check out some of our legal highs!