From "the street"
The 5 States Most Likely to Legalize Pot Next
By Keris Alison Lahiff - 01/22/14 - 11:46 AM EST
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The times, they are a-changin' for marijuana as long-time prohibition laws risk going up in flames. Colorado has lit one up. Washington has its pipe packed but officials still need to sift through 7,000 applications before licenses to produce and sell are issued. And in the rest of the country, grassroots activists fight and campaign, while politicians teeter on whether to relax laws.
Even President Obama weighed in on the debate on Sunday in an interview with The New Yorker, supporting Colorado and Washington's legalization efforts but stopping short of making any statement on whether it could play out on a federal level.
"It's important for it to go forward because it's important for society not to have a situation in which a large portion of people have at one time or another broken the law and only a select few get punished," he told the publication.
The dominos are stacked but which will be the next to fall? TheStreet investigates the five states likely to embrace marijuana law reform next.
Alaska
Cannabis reformers in Alaska have been committed and they've been loud, managing to turn a predominantly red state into the next likely region to allow recreational pot use. Alaska's citizen-run group Campaign to Regulate Marijuana recently submitted more than 45,000 signatures to election officials. Once 30,000 of those are verified, the proposed initiative will qualify for an Aug. 19 vote during the primary election.
The statewide ballot initiative proposes legalizing possession of limited amounts of marijuana for those 21 years and older, while cultivation and sales will be regulated in a way similar to alcohol.
"The proposed initiative will take marijuana sales out of the underground market and put them in legitimate, taxpaying businesses," said Tim Hinterberger, one of the campaign's major activists and sponsors, in a statement. "Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and sensible regulation will bolster Alaska's economy by creating jobs and generating revenue for the state."
Decriminalization and legalization of medical marijuana was passed in 1998 after a majority 59% of Alaskan voters approved the measures.
Oregon
Possibly swayed by its northern-border state Washington, Oregon is making strides to make recreational cannabis use legal.
Back in November 2012, voters in Oregon rejected Ballot Measure 80, but only by a thin margin of 53% to 47%. The initiative would have allowed personal recreational use and a regulatory commission for the sale of cannabis.
Since then, marijuana advocates have regrouped to push for a revised ballot initiative and are lobbying state politicians to enact legislative change. One group in particular, New Approach Oregon, is making inroads with the support of some wealthy backers, including Progressive Insurance Chairman Peter Lewis who donated $64,000 to the effort in November. The activist group is pushing for the Legislature to introduce a legalization bill by the first half of this year, while also spearheading its own campaign.
California
Californians struck down California Proposition 19, an initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, in 2010 during its November election.
Advocates have rallied and are campaigning to get a new measure on the ballot in 2014. While cannabis has been decriminalized and is legal for medical use in the state, the California Hemp Act 2014 hopes to legalize marijuana in its standard and non-psychoactive forms. The campaigners are currently circulating petitions to garner more than 500,000 valid signatures by Feb. 24 to meet requirements for a spot on the 2014 electoral ballot.
Last year, the office of California's Attorney General Kama Harris said the proposed ballot measure would save the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually on marijuana-related law enforcement costs and add hundreds of millions to its tax revenues.
New Hampshire
While Colorado and Washington saw change via voter referendum, New Hampshire could be the first state to legalize marijuana by legislative body alone. Last week, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a preliminary vote 170 to 162 in favor of legalizing recreational use. The state's House Bill 492 seeks to legalize the use and cultivation of marijuana for those aged 21 and older and to regulate retail cultivation and sale. According to a survey out of the University of New Hampshire, 60% of New Hampshire residents surveyed support the bill.
However, the bill could be stopped dead in its tracks. Governor Maggie Hassan told local media outlet WMUR-9 last week that she would veto any bill should it land on her desk, noting the state has enough challenges concerning substance abuse.
"We need to be focusing on that, and I just think it's the wrong message to send to young people," she told the station.
Maine
The Pine Tree State is edging towards legalization at a state level after its largest city, Portland, voted in favor of recreational use in November last year. The initiative, Question 1, garnered 70% approval when it was put to vote, bolstering confidence a similar result could be seen statewide.
While the Marijuana Project Policy has coordinated voter-led campaigns, efforts in the state legislature have fallen short. In November, the Legislative Council was at an impasse on a bill to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana. The bill was shelved and will be reconsidered no earlier than 2015.
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