Marijuana legalization movement seen growing like a weed in 2016

The marijuana legalization movement is expected to pick up steam in 2016.
Forbes contributor Debra Borchardt says 2016 will be a “big year” for legal marijuana.
“2015 was a pretty amazing year for progress in the legalization of marijuana. Four states and the District of Columbia legalized recreational marijuana, many states decriminalized it and several more states approved medical marijuana. But for all the advances made in 2015, the year was just a run up to 2016, when the presidential election is expected to be accompanied by a ramp up in legalization,” she said.
Fortune predicted last month that six more states will legalization weed in 2016.
“Initiatives to land marijuana legalization on 2016 ballots are well underway in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nevada, while a handful of other states could also put legalization to a vote,” Fortune.com writer Tom Huddleston Jr. wrote.
They hope to join Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and D.C., which have already legalized marijuana.
Leafly, an online cannabis information resource, said Nevada is almost a sure bet to legalize weed this year. It also said the odds favor legalization in California and Maine because of their strong medical marijuana programs.
Based on T-shirts and knick-knacks I saw for sale in Las Vegas earlier this month, I’d say businesses there are generally in favor of legalizing cannabis. And hotels like the Excalibur are making sure non-smoking rooms also prohibit pot smoking.

Photos from gift shop and non-smoking hotel room at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in January. (Photos by Patrick Seitz)