Two state Democrats in Minnesota have introduced legislation calling for legalization and legal sales of cannabis by 2022. Simultaneously, another state Dem. has introduced a measure calling for Minnesota’s state constitution to be amended and legalizing cannabis in 2020.

With 2018’s sweeping and remarkable developments for cannabis legalization across the country, and with 2019 shaping up to be even bigger, the time may be right for socially liberal states in the hinterlands such as Minnesota to begin pushing for legalization, lest they be left behind by regional neighbors like Michigan and Illinois and, to a lesser geographic degree, Missouri. While Minnesota’s statehouse has a Democratic majority for the first time in four years, the state Senate is still narrowly controlled by Republicans who could slow passage of legalization measures. Senate majority leader, Paul Gazelka explained as much to the New York Times recently, “Legalizing recreational marijuana is a controversial issue, to say the least, and not something I would consider a priority issue,” Gazelka stated.

However there’s a clear risk of states that do not take the opportunity to legalize early: being left behind. While the impact is less severe in massive states out West, where the sheer geography makes it trickier for a consumer to hop over into another state to buy some pot; states out east that have dragged their feet, such as New York and New Jersey, are now playing catch up to states such as Massachusetts. Particularly with Minnesota, who neighbors North Dakota (where a radical legalization measure was on the ballots last November) and Wisconsin, the benefit of legalization and keeping up with regional leaders is abundantly clear to business developers and politicians. Curiously, were Minnesota to legalize and demonstrate economic success like Massachusetts or other states have seen, that could spur both North Dakota and Wisconsin to evaluate more extensive legalization initiatives.

For now, it nothing more than something to be monitored, but Minnesota could be a substantial legalization domino to fall in the Midwest.