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States in the Southeast and Midwest are bound to benefit the greatest with the opening of new cannabis markets. They have the advantage of lower labor costs and real estate costs compared to other regions. They also have limited licensing programs which will affect the ratio of competition to be expected for such licenses. Another advantage heading into legalization will be the technological advancements of such states in the area of agriculture and processing of its products.
Here is a closer look into the four states that could legalize medical marijuana in 2021.
Alabama
The likelihood of Alabama passing a medical marijuana bill in 2021 is very high. The Senate already passed a medical marijuana bill in March 2020 before the pandemic hit. A 22-11 vote in favor of medical marijuana enough to get the bill to the House. However, the effects of the COVID-19 made that hard to do. The same bill is expected to be passed this year by Sen. Tim Melson an
Shanta Trice could have lived anywhere in Topeka, but she chose the Hi-Crest neighborhood.
“There is just a sense of belonging, being aware of who you are and being accepted,” said Trice, who is also a spokeswoman for Mothers of Murdered Sons.
The diversity of Hi-Crest, coupled with its sense of community, gives the area potential, Trice said, but she believes it is being squandered. She said some central, northern and eastern neighborhoods “definitely get slighted in city infrastructure investment.
Trice said everything from roads to business development is lacking, and that has a negative impact on schools.
“I can t tell you really where it’s broken, other than it is broke,” Trice said. “It’s a cesspool of all kinds of problems.”
A new year means new marijuana legalization bills in the Kansas legislature.On Wednesday, a medical marijuana bill was introduced with the support of the Kansas