This article was originally published in January 2015. It was updated in May 2019.
A January 2015 article on Time.com cited a new report that "predicts that 18 U.S. states will have legalized recreational marijuana in the next five years."
The soon-to-be-released report is from ArcView Market Research, the same company (and likely same report) that inspired The Huffington Post article naming legal marijuana the fastest-growing industry in the United States.
On the list of states expected to legalize marijuana are some not-so-surprising, such as Maine and California, and some surprising, including New Jersey, which has been criticized for its implementation of its medical marijuana program and where Republican Governor Chris Christie has spoken out in strong opposition to marijuana legalization.
The report lists the states that had already legalized cannabis by 2015 (Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska), as well as:
Hawaii
California*
Nevada*
Arizona
Montana
Maryland
Delaware
New Jersey
Connecticut
Rhode Island
New Hampshire
Vermont*
Massachusetts*
Maine*
*So far, the report has proven accurate for five states.
See the Time.com article here.
