These 6 States May Never Legalize Marijuana — And Here’s Why

Marijuana legalization is in full swing in the United States. Attitudes towards this plant are changing as more and more states are embracing it as a new economic opportunity.

Unfortunately for anyone who is pro-marijuana, not all states agree with marijuana legalization. While the list is fairly small, there are six states that may never legalize marijuana. Curious as to whether you live in one of these states? Keep reading to find out.

Georgia

Georgia might be a state some find a little surprising to be on the list of states that may never legalize marijuana. Georgia, however, is a fairly conservative state. As everyone knows, a strong resistance to marijuana legalization tends to go hand-in-hand with conservatism.

According to a poll conducted in 2015, less than 50 percent of the residents in the state of Georgia supported legalizing marijuana. While it is possible those numbers have changed since the time the poll was conducted, Georgia is still one of the states with the worse punishments for marijuana in the entire United States.

Oklahoma

Chances are pretty good that anyone who knows anything about Oklahoma isn’t too surprised to see it on the list of states that may never legalize marijuana. After all, this is one of the states that sued the state of Colorado in federal court because of their marijuana legalization laws. Oklahoma is also a fairly conservative state, and most of the residents just aren’t comfortable with the idea of legalizing marijuana.

Norml named Oklahoma the worst state to be caught in possession of marijuana because of the incredibly harsh punishments residents receive. Some sources claimed you could even be sent to jail for life for a marijuana-related charge in this state.

Nebraska

Like the state of Oklahoma, Nebraska has also sued Colorado for its marijuana legalization laws. The state of Nebraska claims they’ve had to increase law enforcement costs and drug trafficking expenses because of Colorado.

Idaho

Idaho may be one of the states you find to be a little surprising to be on the list of states that may never legalize marijuana. Idaho is bordered by more than one state – Washington and Colorado – where marijuana is legal. Yet, the state is largely against legalizing marijuana. Per Idaho Politics Weekly, only 31 percent of Idaho residents support legalizing marijuana. The Marijuana Policy Project also notes there is little chance of the state of Idaho changing their opinions on marijuana in the near future.

Kansas

Kansas is another state that makes the list of states that may never legalize marijuana because they are extremely conservative. The only thing marijuana users having going for them in the state of Kansas is the fact that more than 60 percent of their residents would support decriminalizing marijuana – they just don’t want to legalize it. So, there is a small glimmer of hope for this state to come around.

Tennessee

Vanderbilt University conducted a poll a few years ago that revealed only a third of the residents in the state support marijuana legalization. This makes Tennessee one of the states with the lowest support. While it is not clear how the support may have changed over the past two years, it still seems like this state has a pretty long way to go to get off this list.

As you know, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada, Maine, California, and Massachusetts have all legalized marijuana. While these states have all had an incredible amount of success with legalizing marijuana, these six states still hesitate to even consider the idea of legalizing marijuana. Some of these states are so against legalizing marijuana, they’ve actually taken to attacking states where it is legal.

Where is #cannabis legal? Map of US #marijuana laws https://t.co/CDDW3HL857 #LegalCannabis #MedicalMarijuana #Weed pic.twitter.com/fVIYFIysJ0

— Jim Ward (@JimWard6) October 24, 2016

Do you live in one of the six states that may never legalize marijuana? Share your thoughts on marijuana legalization in the comments section below.

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