Advocates say legalization elsewhere hasn't done enough to achieve those goals. Critics maintain legal pot is even accelerating inequality as the drug becomes big business for companies generally run by white men.
"We're at the stage of marijuana reform 2.0," said Douglas Berman, an Ohio State University law professor who follows marijuana policy. The conversation, he said, has shifted from just being about legalization to, "which track should we make sure we head down?"
Questions about conviction-clearing and other issues contributed to delaying legislative votes on legalizing recreational pot that had been expected earlier this spring in New York and New Jersey . The states' Democratic governors and legislative leaders support legalization but confronted differences even within their own party.
The New Jersey measure fizzled this week, when the state Senate president said he'll aim for a 2020 referendum while pursuing separate legislation to expand medical marijuana and expunge low-level pot convictions.
Meanwhile, some New York lawmakers said they'll soon unveil an updated proposal to legalize pot and foster racial and economic equity. Activists remain hopeful the state can set an example.
"Social justice is what's going to propel us, not what's going to hold us back," said Kassandra Frederique, the New York director for the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance.