7 American states that could legalize cannabis in 2021

2020 has been a good year for legalization of cannabis in the United States. Arizona, Montana and New Jersey, have legalized cannabis, Mississippi for medical cannabis, and South Dakota for medical and recreational cannabis.

Here are the U.S. states most likely to legalize cannabis in 2021.

Connecticut

Governor Ned Lamont renewed his campaign for legalization in early 2020, with the introduction of a bill that would have legalized adult use for state residents 21 and older and supported racial and ethnic minorities in participating in the market... .

Whereas this legislation, S.B. 16, was finally blocked in committee, Ned Lamont said that he would try again in 2021, especially since neighboring New Jersey has legalized.

State House Democrats have promised to vote on legalization in 2021 in part because of the growing number of neighboring states with regulated markets for adult use, as well as a projected budget deficit next year.

New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo also entered 2020 with cannabis legalization plans in mind. He has included a proposal to cannabis legalization for adults in its state budget last January. Before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S., Cuomo announced his intention to visit legal cannabis states as part of his legalization campaign to find out which aspects of their cannabis programs have worked and which haven't.

As the pandemic raged on, Cuomo has withdrawn its legalization proposal of the budget, saying there was «too much» to accomplish and «too little time» before the April 1 deadline to approve a sprawling budget.

In a podcast in October, Cuomo revealed that that it would renew its legalization campaign by 2021, with plans to include cannabis legalization again in the 2021-2022 budget.

New Mexico

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham called for a renewed effort to legalize cannabis in 2020 and even added the issue to the state's legislative agenda. Legislators took note and introduced a bill. The Senate Public Affairs Committee thus approved the bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee finally voted in February to table the bill.

Representative Javier Martinez recently announced its intention to introduce a new legalization proposal during New Mexico's 60-day legislative session, which begins in January.

Pennsylvania

Governor Tom Wolf called to legalize cannabis for adult use to help boost Pennsylvania's economy. The Republican-controlled state Senate could prove an obstacle, however. Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman has also expressed support for cannabis legalization to help combat the state's budget deficit, and some Pennsylvania state senators have also brought their support for legalization to soften the blow of the economic deficit.

Rhode Island

Like Andrew Cuomo, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo included a proposal to legalize cannabis for adult use in her state budget plan in early 2020, but Senate leaders opposed the plan.

At the November Senate Democratic caucus, however, lawmakers seemed more receptive to legalization to counter the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and are now examining Raimondo's proposal as they work on the budget for 2021.

Texas

Texas Legislators have pre-deposited several bills that would expand Texas' medical cannabis program and legalize adult use before the 2021 session begins in January. Among the various texts presented, the project 140 by Representative Roland Gutierrez would legalize adult use and create 30,000 new jobs and over 3 billion $ in revenue.

Virginie

Governor Ralph Northam signed the decriminalization of cannabis last spring. Possession of one ounce of cannabis (28g) or less is now only punishable by a fine of up to 25$. Northam has already announced his intention to introduce a cannabis legalization project next January.

A legislative working group, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission, has published a study on the potential impact of cannabis legalization in the state, and found that legalization could generate over 300 million $ in annual tax revenue by the 5th year of the program, reduce cannabis arrests by 84% when combined with decriminalization, and create over 11,000 jobs in Virginia.