States commonly follow the lead of others when it comes to legalization of marijuana. They notice how successful a state is when the drug enters the market and pours money back into the economy, and they decide they want to take part in the success.
Despite the opposition coming from the federal government, many states have set their lawmakers to work in creating a program and passing bills so they can join the support for marijuana.
The increasing support for marijuana cannot be stopped, and it only continues to gain popularity. An election recently took place in Illinois where voters supported the legalization of marijuana. The electorate was asked to decide if they were in support of recreational marijuana and if it should be legalized in the state. Results show that there was an overwhelming support for the drug in Cook County, where the election took place.
The text of the ballot proposition stated, “Shall the State of Illinois legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older subject to state regulation, taxation and local ordinance?” Regardless of the massive support for recreational usage of the drug, it is still not legal in Illinois. The purpose of the vote was just to get an idea of the public’s opinion on the issue, but now that they have it is clear that something needs to be done to reflect the masses views.
You might wonder why these lawmakers and swaying so heavily in support of marijuana, and a huge reason is credited to the tax revenue it could bring in for a state. New Jersey is one of the states having this battle right now, and it was calculated that recreational marijuana usage could bring in $60 million in tax money.
This estimation was based on the examination of four other states who have legalized recreational usage and the tax money that has been acquired by this change. Governor Phil Murphy is very hopeful that New Jersey will join the other nine states within the District of Columbia in approving recreational usage of weed. He wants to reverse the anti-drug policies of the Republic governor that held office before him, Chris Christie. The Governor’s proposal calls for legalization of marijuana by January. Aside from all the clear benefits of allowing recreational usage of the drug and taxing the sale of it, several lawmakers still remain unopposed.
Other states are not as radical and are taking smaller measures to get to the same place as Colorado or California. Utah is one of these states that is taking the process of legalizing marijuana very slow. The governor recently signed a bill that stated that a person could use medial marijuana if they were terminally ill and in the final stages of their life.
Nowhere does the bill mention how these patients would acquire medical marijuana and there isn’t any regulations set on the cultivation of the drug. Its safe to assume that we can’t consider Utah a medical marijuana state, but it’s definitely a start.
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