Residents in These 3 States Are the Likeliest to Vote on Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in 2018
Few industries, if any, are growing as quickly as legal marijuana. According to cannabis research firm ArcView, the North American legal-weed industry generated $6.9 billion in sales in 2016, which still pales in comparison with the $46.4 billion in sales estimated on the black market. However, by 2021 it's believed that the legal North American pot market will have vaulted in value to $21.6 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate of 26%.
If there's a single factor that can be pinpointed for this growth, it'd be the rapid shift in consumer opinion toward marijuana. Gallup, which has taken periodic polls on cannabis' favorability for nearly 50 years, found in 1995 that only a quarter of those surveyed wanted it to be legal across the United States. Of course, this poll was also conducted during the War on Drugs. As of 2016, Gallup's same poll found that an all-time record 60% of respondents want to see it legal nationally. The belief is that as this figure rises, pressure will mount on lawmakers in Congress to adjust their scheduling of the drug.
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Source: Fool.com
