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Message: <blockquote data-quote="_CY_" data-source="post: 2374644" data-attributes="member: 7629">2013 was yet another banner year for pot.Voters in Michigan, Maine and Colorado took steps to decriminalize marijuana possession or tax already legal marijuana industry, legislators in Illinois decriminalized possession and the federal government said it wouldn’t interfere with state laws on pot.The new year promises to set the stage for even more victories for the marijuana legalization movement. Here are four reasons why.Pot’s legal in Colorado now?[Broken External Image]A sales clerk cleans a jar that will sell recreational marijuana in Colorado starting Jan. 1.Yes. In 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington legalized small amounts of marijuana in what the New York Times called a “game-changing” move for the legalization debate.In fact, this morning, thousands of people 21 or older are lined up in Colorado to legally buy marijuana from retail shops for the first time in America’s history. Folks in Washington will do the same in a few months.These states are the nation’s test cases for full-scale legalization. Critics, proponents and undecided lawmakers and voters will be watching closely some key indicators of success of the legalization movement.If proponents’ arguments come true that Washington and Colorado will receive a windfall of new revenue without any significant increase in crime from people using the drug, it could spur undecided voters and lawmakers in other states to get in on the action.So what happens next?[Broken External Image]A woman sells marijuana at a dispensary in Colorado. Victory in Colorado and other states has buoyed a grassroots lobby - get it, “grass?” - to enact even more change across America.In 2014 we can expect to see even more initiatives introduced in states, such as decriminalizing possession of small amounts or authorizing medical marijuana use.Polls show Americans’ haze of ambiguity toward pot is lifting with each success. For the first time ever, a majority of Americans, 58 percent, support legalizing pot, according to an October Gallup poll. This year, expect legalization advocates to argue that the winds of social change have irreversibly swung their way. And they just might be right.Does that mean the pro-marijuana side is winning?U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., introduced a bill in Congress to legalize marijuana. Well, more and more officials seem to be coming around to the idea. As legalization moves from a fringe issue to a more mainstream one - that potentially brings in dollars, no less -, it’s possible Democratic governors will take up the cause.That might happen even if constituents aren’t on board yet. As The Washington Post reports, states are increasingly dominated by one party, a phenomenon that has the effect of pushing through social change more quickly than a divided state.Plus, it's not just Democrats warming up to the idea. A Republican state senator from Wyoming told a local radio station this week he supported medical marijuana based on a family member’s experience. His comment lit up weed blogs everywhere, which are also abuzz with a well-organized movement to get medical marijuana a vote in conservative-leaning Florida this year. So where do we go from here?A smoker in Seattle prepares to light up after voters legalized pot in the state in 2012. That we don't know. While approving medical marijuana seems to be a trend in 19 states plus the District of Columbia and counting, there's really no set formula for how states can move forward on the issue.</blockquote>

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