ATLANTIC CITY -- The casino city by the sea may be the next Denver or Seattle if two lawmakers have their way.

New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer) told NJ1015 on Sunday that he plans to introduce legislation in January that would make recreation marijuana legal in Atlantic City.

The legalization could open the struggling tourism spot to a new wave of gamblers and would draw people from all over the country as a new hot vacation spot, Gusciora said in the report.

Atlantic City Council President Frank Gilliam echoed those sentiments last week in an interview with Philly.com, where he said that he envisions the future of shore entertainment destination as a weed-friendly city like Denver or Seattle.

Over the last few years, Atlantic City has struggled as its tourism has declined and may soon have to raise its tolls on the Atlantic City Expressway to make up for the lack of visitors taking the highway.

Gusciora and Gilliam believe the legalization of weed could be a way to reinvigorate the city's economy. According to the proposed bill, recreational marijuana would only be legal for adults within the city, the report says.

Gusciora, who has fought for expanded medical marijuana laws in the Garden State, sponsored a bill recently that would legalize possession of marijuana up to an ounce.

A Rutgers University-Eagleton poll found earlier this year that more New Jerseyans are in favor of the legalization of recreational marijuana than against it.

Craig McCarthy may be reached at CMcCarthy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @createcraig. Find NJ.com on Facebook.