Cannabis legalization in the US began in 1973 when Oregon became the first state to decriminalize cannabis, then in 1996 California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis use, and in 2012 Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use.

By November 2016, a number of states had legalized medical cannabis, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, with Colorado and Washington being the only states to fully legalize recreational cannabis use.

November 8, 2016

Five states — Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — considered legalizing the recreational use of cannabis. Three others — Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota — decided whether to permit cannabis for medical purposes. Montana weighed whether to ease restrictions on an existing medical cannabis law.

California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada legalized cannabis for recreational use after November 8, 2016 voting. Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana voters have approved cannabis for medical use.

On 19 April 2017 the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act, S.B. 386, was signed by Gov. Jim Justice.

On January 22, 2018, Vermont became the first state to legalize recreational cannabis use through its legislature.

Oklahoma voters approved on June 26, 2018 a ballot measure making the state the 30th in the U.S. to legalize medical cannabis.

November 6, 2018

On November 6, 2018, Utah and Missouri voters voted to legalize medical cannabis while Michigan voters approved an adult-use cannabis initiative.

In May 2019, Illinois legalized adult-use cannabis cultivation and sales through its legislature to become the 11^th cannabis recreational state.

In August 2020, Louisiana lawmakers amended the state’s existing medical marijuana law, permitting doctors to recommend rather than prescribe medical marijuana, which runs counter to federal law. The law also expanded the list of eligible conditions for cannabis treatment.

November 3, 2020

In 2020, South Dakota became the first state whose voters approved both recreational and medical cannabis in the same election. New Jersey, Montana and Arizona all legalized recreational cannabis while medical cannabis was made legal in Mississippi.

The Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA) was signed into law on March 31, 2021 legalizing adult-use cannabis in New York State.

In April 2021, New Mexico Governor signed the cannabis bill, making New Mexico the 17th state to legalize the cannabis for recreational use.

On April 8, 2021, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration announced an adult-use cannabis legalization plan.

On May 17, 2021, Gov. Kay Ivey signed a legalization bill into law making Alabama the 38th state to legalize medical cannabis for adults and minors with certain conditions under a doctor’s recommendation.

On July 1, 2021, lawmakers passed an adult-use cannabis bill legalizing consumption of up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis for adults 21 and older in Connecticut.

On May 25^th, 2022, Rhode Island officially became the 19th state in the U.S. to legalize adult-use cannabis when Gov. Dan McKee signed into law a bill passed by state lawmakers the day before.

November 8, 2022

Maryland and Missouri legalized cannabis for recreational use after November 8, 2022 voting.

In 2023, Delaware and Minnesota became the 22nd and 23rd states, respectively, to legalize adult-use cannabis.

On March 31, 2023, the governor of Kentucky signed bill SB 47 to legalize medical cannabis in the state.

On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters approved Ohio Issue 2, Marijuana Legalization Initiative to legalize recreational cannabis.

November 5, 2024

On November 5, 2024, Nebraska became the 41st state to legalize medical cannabis.

Texas became the 42nd state to legalize medical cannabis following Governor Greg Abbott’s signing of a medical cannabis expansion bill (HB 46) into law on June 21, 2025.

Cannabis Legalization in the U.S. Current Status:

Forty two states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands currently have laws legalizing cannabis in some form and twenty four states – Alaska (2015), Arizona (2020), California (2016), Colorado (2012), Connecticut (2021), Delaware (2023), Illinois (2020), Maine (2017), Maryland (2023), Massachusetts (2016), Michigan (2018), Minnesota (2023), Missouri (2022), Montana (2021), Nevada (2017), New Jersey (2021), New Mexico (2021), New York (2021), Ohio (2023), Oregon (2015), Rhode Island (2022), Vermont (2018), Virginia (2021) and Washington (2012) – the District of Columbia (2015), Guam (2019), the Northern Mariana Islands (2018) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (2023) allow cannabis for recreational use.

Cannabis Legalization in the US Map Infographics