Marijuana Laws By State

As of this writing, the majority of states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana in some form. Some (currently, 9 states) now allow recreational use and possession. While the vast majority of states allow limited medical marijuana use including cannabis-infused remedies such as oils, other states have stricter laws that allow possession only for select and rare medical conditions. Some states have also decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

What States is Weed Legal in?

At the federal level, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I substances are thought to have a high potential for dependency and no accepted medical use. This makes distribution of marijuana a federal offense. However, the US Department of Justice announced in 2013 an update to its marijuana enforcement policy. Thus, states where marijuana is now legal (Colorado, Washington, California and others) are expected to create “strong, state-based enforcement efforts” – effectively taking the federal government out of the enforcement picture in those states.

The following is a list of state regulations regarding marijuana possession and use:

1. Alabama: no broad legalization laws
2. Alaska: legalized for medical and recreational use
3. Arizona: medical use legalized
4. Arkansas: medical use legalized
5. California: legalized for medical and recreational use
6. Colorado: legalized for medical and recreational use
7. Connecticut: medical use legalized
8. Delaware: medical use legalized
9. DC: legalized for medical and recreational use
10. Florida: medical use legalized
11. Georgia: no broad legalization laws
12. Hawaii: medical use legalized
13. Idaho: no broad legalization laws
14. Illinois: medical use legalized
15. Indiana: no broad legalization laws
16. Iowa: no broad legalization laws
17. Kansas: no broad legalization laws
18. Kentucky: no broad legalization laws
19. Louisiana: medical use legalized but not in forms that can be smoked
20. Maine: legalized for medical and recreational use
21. Maryland: medical use legalized
22. Massachusetts: legalized for medical and recreational use
23. Michigan: medical use legalized
24. Minnesota: medical use legalized
25. Mississippi: no broad legalization laws
26. Missouri: no broad legalization laws
27. Montana: medical use legalized
28. Nebraska: no broad legalization laws
29. Nevada: legalized for medical and recreational use
30. New Hampshire: medical use legalized
31. New Jersey: medical use legalized
32. New Mexico: medical use legalized
33. New York: medical use legalized
34. North Carolina: no broad legalization laws
35. North Dakota: medical use legalized
36. Ohio: medical use legalized
37. Oklahoma: no broad legalization laws
38. Oregon: legalized for medical and recreational use
39. Pennsylvania: medical use legalized
40. Rhode Island: medical use legalized
41. South Carolina: no broad legalization laws
42. South Dakota: no broad legalization laws
43. Tennessee: no broad legalization laws
44. Texas: no broad legalization laws
45. Utah: no broad legalization laws
46. Vermont: medical use legalized
47. Virginia: no broad legalization laws
48. Washington: legalized for medical and recreational use
49. West Virginia: medical use legalized but only for cannabis-infused products
50. Wisconsin: no broad legalization laws
51. Wyoming: no broad legalization laws

Currently, five additional states are expected to legalize recreational marijuana by 2020: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Check out our full list of country laws.