17 US states are working on legalizing recreational cannabis in 2017

Now that more than half of the United States (28 states) has access to medical cannabis in one form or another, with 8 states having passed laws on recreational cannabis use, the rest of the country is scrambling to keep up.

17 U.S. states are currently working to legalize recreational cannabis, with more than two dozen bills introduced since the beginning of the year, according to the LA Times.

Politicians in these states—including Connecticut, Minnesota, and Hawaii—believe they can pass similar legislation in their states.

«We're focusing on the revenue generated by states as legalization spreads,» says Mary Washington, a Maryland state representative who introduced a bill to treat cannabis the same as alcohol, and tax it. She estimates that a program to legalize cannabis could generate up to $165 million a year for the state.

Mason Tvert, spokesperson for the organization Marijuana Policy Project, believes that lawmakers are now acting in accordance with the will of the American people, who have paved the way for the medical use of cannabis.

«Citizens were able to see through the government’s prohibitionist madness and paved the way for medical cannabis. These laws have inspired citizens in other states to demand that their elected officials take action. »They now realize that such laws are not only popular but also feasible,« Tvert told the LA Times. »The same thing is happening today with increasingly widespread legalization.”.

The recent statements by Sean Spicer However, these factors could slow down the states' efforts to legislate on recreational cannabis.

Nearly as many U.S. states are currently working toward the legalization of medical cannabis.