2016 Will be Huge For Marijuana (Source cheatsheet.com) The 2014 midterm elections will go down in history as one of the most important years in marijuana history. It provided validation that two trailblazer states — Washington and Colorado — had made the right decision two years prior in pushing through a voter-passed ballot initiative, allowing for the possession and consumption of adults. Many were skeptical when those states passed their respective laws, but in 2014, they suddenly don’t look so crazy. Following this year’s election cycle, two more states — Oregon and Alaska — and the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., now have legalized marijuana for themselves. While it wasn’t completely unexpected, it is still a bit jarring for many people to comprehend. Ten years ago, or even five years ago, having any state, let alone four plus Washington D.C., with legal marijuana was inconceivable. But it appears public perception has gone through a massive flip in a relative short amount of time, and now states will be rolling in new tax revenues, will likely see their crime rates drop, and also save in terms of law enforcement costs. It’s a very exciting time for cannabis activists. But hold onto your hats, because 2016 is going to blow the lid off the whole thing. What makes 2016 so special? Well, it will be the third election cycle in which marijuana legalization measures will be on ballots across the country. While 2014 led some more credence to the legalization movement, it is still largely considered an “experiment” by many, seeing as how these laws still conflict with federal law, and that the feds themselves have really yet to choose one side or the other. With legalization hitting the nation’s capital, and three of the four states making up the Pacific coast, the feds will likely need to weigh in within the next several months. There are a handful of states that are looking at getting measures on the 2016 ballot, and if even a few of them are able to successfully get the votes to put them into law, suddenly marijuana legalization is no longer simply an experiment.