sentences:  In the years that followed reform efforts continued to gain steam, with decriminalization laws passing in Massachusetts (2008), Connecticut (2011), Rhode Island (2012), Vermont (2013), the District of Columbia (2014), Maryland (2014), Missouri (2014), the U.S. Virgin Islands (2014), Delaware (2015), Illinois (2016), New Hampshire (2017), New Mexico (2019), North Dakota (2019), Hawaii (2019), and Virginia (2020).As of 2020 sixteen states have decriminalization policies in effect, and an additional nine states have decriminalized that later legalized.Prior to 2012, ballot initiatives seeking to legalize cannabis were attempted in a number of states but none succeeded.