New green rush? While the Western states mature from the early green rush, cannabis legalization is surging on the Eastern part of the country as states look for economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic. While local laws vary, medical marijuana is legal in 36 states and recreationally allowed in 17 states. Tracking $26 billion in sales for 2021, the legal cannabis industry is expected to reach $46 billion by 2025 (per Marijuana Business Factbook) driven by new markets. States legalizing cannabis are likely to affect neighboring states that don’t want to lose this revenue to someone else. With NJ and NY having just legalized recreational marijuana, the east coast states of CT, DE and RI could follow suit.