Is cannabis legal in the United States of America?
Although the use of cannabis is illegal under the federal law and the federal government classifies cannabis as a schedule 1 drug, 80% of the U.S. states have legalized it in some form. Most states legalized it only for medical purposes, but 24 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) – have gone further, legalizing the recreational use.
As a result, 40 states (2 with low-THC cannabis program), the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have effective medical cannabis laws, and 24 states, the District of Columbia (2015), Guam (2019), and the Northern Mariana Islands (2018) now allow cannabis for recreational use.
Cannabis Highlights 2023
- Ohio became the 24th state to legalize recreational cannabis on November 7, 2023.
- Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis on May 30, 2023.
- Delaware became the 22nd state to legalize recreational cannabis on April 26, 2023.
- Kentucky became the 40th state to legalize medical cannabis on March 31, 2023.
Cannabis Legality by State – Updated November 8, 2023
Alabama | medical |
Alaska | medical/recreational |
Arizona | medical/recreational |
Arkansas | medical |
California | medical/recreational |
Colorado | medical/recreational |
Connecticut | medical/recreational |
Delaware | medical/recreational |
District of Columbia | medical/recreational |
Florida | medical |
Georgia | medical (low-THC cannabis oils) |
Hawaii | medical |
Idaho | no laws legalizing |
Illinois | medical/recreational |
Indiana | CBD |
Iowa | medical (low-THC cannabis oils) |
Kansas | no laws legalizing |
Kentucky | medical |
Louisiana | medical |
Maine | medical/recreational |
Maryland | medical/recreational |
Massachusetts | medical/recreational |
Michigan | medical/recreational |
Minnesota | medical/recreational |
Mississippi | medical |
Missouri | medical/recreational |
Montana | medical/recreational |
Nebraska | decriminalized |
Nevada | medical/recreational |
New Hampshire | medical |
New Jersey | medical/recreational |
New Mexico | medical/recreational |
New York | medical/recreational |
North Carolina | decriminalized |
North Dakota | medical |
Ohio | medical/recreational |
Oklahoma | medical |
Oregon | medical/recreational |
Pennsylvania | medical |
Rhode Island | medical/recreational |
South Carolina | no laws legalizing |
South Dakota | medical |
Tennessee | no laws legalizing |
Texas | CBD |
Utah | medical |
Vermont | medical/recreational |
Virginia | medical/recreational |
Washington | medical/recreational |
West Virginia | medical |
Wisconsin | CBD |
Wyoming | no laws legalizing |
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