Big Moves on Pot in 2018

7 States That Could Make Big Moves on Pot in 2018

Including the first state in the Midwest to legalize it

By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff

In this Dec. 17, 2017, file photo, a man from Westerly, RI, smells a strain of marijuana flowers at the Harvest Cup trade show in Worcester, Mass.   (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

(NEWSER) – Although pot saw a watershed year in 2016, with a handful of marijuana legalization initiatives that got the green light from voters, 2017 was pretty dry, with no official movement on that front anywhere in the nation. Per Forbes, 2018 is set to see a cannabis comeback, with at least seven states looking at legalization or other major marijuana reforms. The difference between some of these contenders and previous states to end pot prohibition is that a few of 2018's potential laws would be spurred by legislators, not by voters. Here, the seven states to keep an eye on (including Michigan, which would be the first state in the Midwest to give a thumbs-up to legalization), and what they're considering:

1. Michigan (legalization)
2. Missouri (medical use)
3. New Jersey (legalization)
4. Oklahoma (medical use)
5. Utah (medical use)
6. Vermont (legalization)
7. Virginia (decriminalization)

Check out Forbes to see what other states are mulling legalization