CNBC asks 'Is Marijuana Legalization Inevitable in the U.S.?' plus New York and Virginia legalizing marijuana

As I told my readers yesterday, "stay tuned for marijuana legalization for 4/20." I have just the video for the today's subject, CNBC asking Is Marijuana Legalization Inevitable In The US?.

Every ballot initiative involving the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana passed in the 2020 election. The Democratic-controlled House also passed the MORE Act in early December, which would legalize marijuana at the federal level and implement sweeping regulations surrounding the drug. These developments reveal something important about the shift in the marijuana debate: Marijuana may be one of the truly bipartisan issues in the U.S. right now.
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CORRECTION (January 4, 2021): At 0:55 and 6:31, the map mislabels the legality of recreational marijuana in Illinois. The state has legalized marijuana for both recreational and medical use. At 12:20, a graphic used an incorrect photo to identify Alaska Rep. Don Young

That was a very good history and summary of the state of the issue as of January 2021. Since then, New York and Virginia have legalized recreational use of marijuana. Follow over the jump for video news reports about them.

Late last month, NBC News reported New York Agrees To Legalize Recreational Marijuana.

New York State lawmakers are on the verge of a deal to legalize adult recreational marijuana. Legalization would eventually generate $3.5 billion a year in economic activity, according to estimates by Gov. Cuomo’s office. NBC News’ Ben Popken reports.

The other is Virginia, which Yahoo Finance covered in Virginia legalizes the recreational use of marijuana two weeks ago and includes an updated map of the legal status of marijuana.

Yahoo Finance's Zack Guzman and Akiko Fujita discuss the legalization of cannabis in Virginia.

Zack Guzman pointed out that social justice concerns, particularly the disproportionate arrests of African-Americans and expungement of marijuana convictions, played at least as large a role as the revenue opportunities in getting New York and Virginia to legalize recreational use of marijuana. That doesn't mean that money isn't important, as Yahoo Finance examined in The competition for marijuana revenue heats up between New York and New Jersey two weeks ago.

Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Keenan, Kristin Myers, and Alexis Christoforous discuss projected cannabis market within New Jersey and New York.

While I'm wryly amused by the spectacle of green chasing green, that doesn't mean I've changed my mind about marijuana legalization following in the tracks of marriage equality. Here's to reporting more progress towards this goal on this date next year.