A bill to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in the Northern Marianas has been pre-filed by Senator Sixto Igisomar.Senator Igisomar says such legalization is now less controversial than a few years ago as Colorado and Washington have joined other states in approving marijuana for recreational use.There are 24 states, including the territory of Guam, that have enacted laws to legalize marijuana.In 2012, a bill to legalize marijuana also pointed to potential revenues for the CNMI in addition to medical benefits.The bill claims that the CNMI must realize that the time has come to legalize the use and possession of marijuana strictly for medicinal purposes, and to remove any associated penalties.The Northern Marianas governor, Eloy Inos, says he is open to the idea of legalising medical marijuana in the territory.However, he says he would not support legalising its use for any commercial or entertainment purposes.The Senate Fiscal Affairs Committee is considering the idea of inserting marijuana legalisation into a bill put forward by the house that would see cigarette tax raised by two US dollars per pack.Some senators are considering legalizing recreational cannabis use in the territory as well, after seeing that the US state of Colorado plans to raise nearly one billion dollars in sales tax revenue for the fiscal year.