Marijuana Policy Project Aims for 28 Medical Cannabis States by 2014, Including Illinois, NY

MMJ insiders often say 25 is the magic number when it comes to medical marijuana legalization. When half the states in the nation pass medical cannabis laws, the thinking goes, the federal government will be forced to reconsider its position on the drug.

The Marijuana Policy Project hopes to help the U.S. hit that number – and in fact exceed it – in a little over two years.  The organization, which works to reform cannabis laws, has set an aggressive goal of getting to 28 states with MMJ laws by the end of 2014. It posted a short video on YouTube this week outlining the goal and is using it as the centerpiece for a fundraising effort.

So which states stand the best chance of legalizing medical marijuana in the near future according to MPP? Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

“With the passage of each new state law, many thousands of seriously ill patients will be protected from arrest,” MPP wrote on its site. “And, of course, each time we get one step closer to convincing Congress to change federal law — which is the ultimate goal.”

Getting another 11 states on board in just under three years seems a bit optimistic, given that in most years the industry is lucky if two or three states legalize medical marijuana. But we could very well see a domino effect as the scales tip more in favor of MMJ across the country and medical marijuana becomes less controversial in general.