March Is a Big Month for Marijuana! 5 States Move Toward Legalization

[Playinghardball]

The legislative season is in full swing at statehouses around the country, and pot is hot. And we're not even talking about medical marijuana or decriminalization bills, we're talking about outright legalization bills.

Early this month, the General Social Survey, the "gold standard" of public opinion polls, reported that for the first time, a majority nationwide favor legalization. Other recent opinion polls, including Gallup and Pew, have reported similar results. And all have reported rather dramatic increases in support in recent years, with the trend still continuing upward.

While Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and DC have already legalized weed via the initiative process, it's taking a few years for state legislatures to notice. There was a similar political dynamic with medical marijuana. Californians voted to legalize medical in 1996, but it took four years for Hawaii to become the first state to do so legislatively.

It's now four years since Coloradans and Washingtonians voted to legalize marijuana. Isn't it time for some state legislature somewhere to get around to legalizing it? Well, maybe. But getting controversial, paradigm-shifting policy changes through such bodies is notoriously difficult and time-consuming. And while polls are reporting majorities for legalization, those are slim majorities. That means there are still a whole lot of people in this country who don't want to see pot legalized.

Still, legalization appears to be the wave of the future. Legalization bills have been or will be filed in at least 15 states this year (see below). Here are five states that are most likely to be the first out of the box when it comes to legalizing pot at the statehouse.

1. Maine. Rep. Diane Russell (D-Portland) has previously sponsored legalization bills and is doing the same this year. While her bill has yet to be assigned to a committee and the legislature is dominated by Republicans, the threat of legalization via voter initiative next year if legislators don't act this year could be enough to concentrate their minds.

See the rest of the states: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/march-marijuana-mania-5-states-moving-legalization

[KamaAina]

1. New England's been freezing for several months now.

About time it got baked!

[sarge43]

7. I wish NH would get on the band wagon

Our idiot gov is in reefer madness mode.

[KamaAina]

16. Just think how much mellower Laconia would be

(for those of you just joining us, Laconia is the home of New England's biggest biker run )

[sarge43]

19. Weirdo Beach indeed. nt

[Logical]

2. Shit, even Kansas is considering lowering punishment for 1st and 2nd time possessions. And we....

are a shit hole of GOP idiots.

[AtomicKitten]

3. Excellent.

[Scuba]

4. Not Wisconsin. Walker's too focused on the private prison industry's profits.

[Ed Suspicious]

5. Where would we store our black folks if we couldn't stash them in prison for drug offenses?

[midnight]

6. This is an important point that goes against the movement in this country to make it legal for

various reasons.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Save for DC, I think it's going to take way longer East of the Mississippi.

I just think East Coasters are more uptight about it.

[Chan790]

11. Have you ever been to CT?

I know we're known for being the preppy state...and I get it, I went to prep school here....but the state motto might as well be "Mind your own business!"

An entire state culture based around we really don't give a fuck what the neighbor does...my 83 year old Republican grandmother, a woman who thought Reefer Madness was true and hewed close to her belief in law-and-order, discovered that the neighbor was growing pot and said "Well, it's not in my yard."

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Some of the best shows the Grateful Dead ever put on, were in NYC.

I am not doubting that there are pot people on the East Coast.

Nevertheless, I think things are bit more ... entrenched, there. Move slower. Anyway, 4 states are legal now and they're all in the West, so if you're gonna catch up get moving!

[Comrade Grumpy]

14. New England is ready.

It polls behind only the West Coast when it comes to support for legalization. Above 50%.

And in Maine and Massachusetts, initiatives are ready to roll out in 2016 if the legislatures don't act. That could concentrate minds at the statehouse.

[blackspade]

9. Any word on KY?

[KansDem]

10. I'll drink to this development!

Oh, wait...
[p align="right"][font size="1"]puff...puff... [font size="2"][p align="left"]

[MarianJack]

12. I wanna invest in pizza!!!

One small point though, up here in Maine our legislature isn't DOMINATED by the Republican/teabagger party. Unfortunately, last year as the horrible Paul LeramPage was being reelected with the help (again) of the equally awful Eliot Cutler, the baggers took over the state senate. The House however, remains pretty solidly in Democratic hands and should be able to protect us from the worst damage. More than likely we'll be able to take the state senate back in 2016.

PEACE!

[Rex]

13. Texas talks a big game, but I bet they never do it. Too many fundies in this state

they would all freak out and do who knows what.

[Major Hogwash]

15. When did Oregon legalize cannabis?

I must have missed that.

[Comrade Grumpy]

18. November 2014.

Same day as Alaska and Washington, DC.

[seveneyes]

20. Four and twenty years ago

[NuclearDem]

21. March Reefer Madness.

Ok, I'll be good now.

[raven mad]

22. Come join us!

But watch out for the repukes in your states governments: they will try their damndest to screw it up after it passes.