Financial Pressures and Social Justice Movement May Spur Marijuana Legalization

A combination of financial pressures and social justice initiatives may lead more states to legalize marijuana, CNN reports.

More states are reducing criminal penalties for marijuana use and possession. Georgia legislators have added decriminalization to a police reform bill, while Nevada pardoned more than 15,500 people who were convicted of carrying less than an ounce of cannabis. New Jersey legislators are also considering a measure to decriminalize marijuana. A new decriminalization law in Virginia includes provisions to create a work group to evaluate the potential impact of legalizing marijuana.

Some states are also eyeing marijuana legalization as a way to pull in more revenue as they struggle with growing budget gaps, the article notes. Cannabis sales in states that have legalized recreational and medical marijuana totaled about $15 billion last year. They are expected to top $30 billion by 2024, according to BDS Analytics, which tracks dispensary sales.