Just two states, Colorado and Washington, have fully legalized marijuana while an additional 15 states have decriminalized certain amounts of marijuana possession. More broadly, this comes at a time when a bipartisan group of senators is sponsoring a bill to reduce mandatory minimums for many federal drug crimes. Recently, Attorney General Eric Holder called on the United States Sentencing Commission to reduce mandatory sentences for certain low-level drug offenses. On a statewide level, 40 states have taken some action to ease their drug laws since 2009, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
