Republican Gov. Chris Christie's warning to the Democrat-led Legislature not to move forward with legalizing marijuana is going mostly unheeded.

Christie cautioned lawmakers against allowing recreational marijuana in an impassioned state of the state address aimed at battling the state's opioid epidemic.

But as the governor charges full-steam ahead with a program to battle drug addiction that got a warm reception from Democratic leaders, he's getting pushback when it comes to marijuana.

The issue comes to the fore has some are hoping New Jersey will soon join California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada that approved marijuana legalization this year.

Legislators in more than a dozen states have introduced measures to loosen laws restricting access to or criminalizing marijuana, a rush of legislative activity that supporters hope reflects a newfound willingness by public officials to embrace a trend toward legalization.

The gamut covered by measures introduced in the early days of legislative sessions underscores the patchwork approach to marijuana by states across the country — and the possibility that the different ways states treat marijuana could come to a head at the federal Justice Department, where President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to become attorney general is a staunch opponent of legal pot.

New Jersey's Rutgers University is breaking ranks with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on cannabis. Last summer, RU quietly revamped their marijuana policy for school athletes. The new rules - which took effect on August 1, 2016 - separate cannabis from performance-enhancing substances and hard drugs like heroin and cocaine.  

Marijuana will remain a prohibited substance, but student athletes at Rutgers will receive lighter punishments for using it compared to taking PED's and hard drugs. The new policy was developed in collaboration with coaches, legal counsellors, medical personnel and administrators at RU.

Voters in eight states passed marijuana legalization laws following the 2016 presidential election, giving the legalization movement the required momentum for more states across the country to carry out discussions on the decriminalization of cannabis in 2017.

Here are seven states to watch that are gearing up to legalize cannabis in 2017:

Delaware

The recreational legalization of cannabis is expected to be discussed by the state’s officials in early 2017. Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, during a Medical Marijuana Act Oversight Committee meeting in October 2016, said: “It’s time to certainly look at it.”

On Monday night, New Jersey Governor and Donald Trump transition team member Chris Christie did his monthly “Ask the Governor” radio show on WKXW-FM in Trenton. Never one to mix words, the governor made a number of colorful comments, but none more so than when a caller asked him about his role as New Jersey’s foremost obstacle to the legalization of recreational marijuana. Christie not only had no qualms about admitting that he’s standing in the way of the pro-marijuana efforts, but admonished his opponents for pushing legislation that would bring in “blood money.”

Legalized marijuana could be "a game-changer" for New Jersey's economy, Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Thursday, declaring his intent to help change the law as soon as the next governor takes office in 2018.

Fresh off their trip to Colorado to see how the legal marijuana industry works, Sweeney and a group of state lawmakers told reporters Thursday they were impressed with how regulated, safe and profitable this new cash crop has been for the Rocky Mountain state.