Green tide in the United States: these states are pushing to legalize cannabis by 2022

Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Virginia... last elections in November and the recent passage of the U.S. Senate for Democrats have created a real wake-up call for American states that have yet to legalize recreational and/or medical cannabis.

Connecticut

Connecticut's governor reiterated his support for cannabis legalization during his annual State of the State address on Wednesday, pledging to work with lawmakers to move the issue forward in 2021.

«I'm working with our neighboring states and looking forward to working with our tribal partners on the path to modernizing gaming in our state, as well as legalizing cannabis,» a declared Democratic Governor Ned Lamont. «Sports betting, Internet gambling and legalized cannabis are coming all around us. Let's not abandon these opportunities to outside markets or, even worse, underground markets.»

State legislators have repeatedly refused to move forward on legalization measures in recent years, including a bill that Democrats introduced last year with the support of Governor Ned Lamont.

If the attempt to push legalization through the state legislature fails, he has already announced that he wants to put a constitutional question on the state's 2022 ballot that would leave the choice to the state's voters.

Iowa

Iowa Democrats declared last Wednesday that they wanted to legalize cannabis and regulate it to the same level as alcohol. So far, no Republican, who holds the majority in the state legislature, has publicly supported the measure. Nearly 40 Democrats, ranging from city council members to Iowa state senators, are committeds to legalize the possession of small quantities of cannabis and to expunge the criminal records of Iowans who have already been charged with cannabis possession offenses.

The Democrats are proposing three bills: one that establishes cannabis regulations similar to those for alcohol; a second that eliminates criminal penalties for personal possession of cannabis and erases criminal records; and a third that gives local governments the power to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis.

Kentucky

Kentucky is one of the few US states that has yet to legalize medical cannabis. However, Kentucky lawmakers have introduced a new bill to legalize medical cannabis in the state even as the governor called for reform during a State of the Commonwealth address last Thursday.

The bill is sponsored by Representative Jason Nemes, who previously presented a medical cannabis bill last year, which was passed by the House but then fell in the Senate.

«Speaking of laws that unduly inhibit us from growth and innovation, it's time to legalize medical cannabis,» a declared Governor Andy Beshear during his speech.

Missouri

Republican Congressman Shamed Dogan will introduce a bill at Missouri's next legislative session.

«We spend more time and more police resources fighting cannabis smokers than all other drugs combined,» a declared Shamed Dogan. «10% of arrests in the state of Missouri right now are due to cannabis possession.»

Dogan's bill would be the first time ’a Republican representative from Missouri has pushed to legalize recreational cannabis». The state failed last year to present a popular legalization initiative for the November vote.

«I think alcohol prohibition taught us that trying to prohibit something in this way, the way we approached cannabis prohibition, it backfires,» Dogan said, adding, «I mean, you can buy any amount of alcohol you want, right? You can buy any amount of tobacco you want, so I think [cannabis] should be regulated the same way.»

Minnesota

Minnesota has already initiated plans to legalize cannabis in 2020 and plans to continue in this legislative session by supporting a bill to legalize, although it still faces some resistance from the State Senate.

«Public support is growing for legalization and the removal of cannabis-related criminal records,» House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler said of the proposed new legislation. He plans to sponsor another bill for legalization this time. «We want to create a safe, regulated marketplace where people can buy cannabis, know what they're getting, where law enforcement knows where cannabis is coming into the community.»

«There's obviously a lot of racial bias in the criminal justice system, very different arrest rates, very different incarceration depending on your race,» he added, One of the reasons for legalization in Minnesota. «The big obstacle isn't really trying to convince people that cannabis is good. Nobody's trying to say that. What we're saying is that the current system fails every test of a good public response to a drug that has undesirable effects and has positive benefits.»

Nebraska

A Nebraska senator on Thursday introduced an amendment to the state constitution to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. If approved by the Nebraska Legislature, the amendment proposed by State Senator Justin Wayne of Omaha will appear on the ballot in 2022.

Under the legislative resolution 2CA, voters would decide on a proposed amendment to the state constitution in next year's general election in November. The amendment would legalize cannabis and require state legislators to adopt regulations for the «cultivation, manufacture, distribution, consumption and sale of cannabis in all forms» by October 1, 2023.

Rhode Island

Rhode Island State Senator Dominick Ruggerio was officially re-elected Senate President last week, and in his opening remarks to the assembled legislators, reiterated his plan to have two Democratic colleagues draft a bill to legalize cannabis in the state.

«I have asked Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey and Chairman Josh Miller to work together to develop a framework to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis,» Ruggerio said, which could come as early as this year according to local returns.

Virginie

Virginia has received a bill to legalize cannabis for adults. The bill comes a month after Democratic Governor Ralph Northam included provisions to lay the groundwork for cannabis legalization in a budget proposal.

The new legislation would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (28 grams) of cannabis. It calls on the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to regulate the cannabis program as it currently does for hemp. Adults would also be able to grow up to 3 mature and 3 immature plants for personal use under the bill.