The United States of Marijuana Legalization

It seems like not that long ago that conversations about marijuana were hush-hush and people blamed “reefer madness” for why a naturally growing plant should not be legal for adults to enjoy as they see fit. And now? Well the times are certainly changing as we see a huge majority of U.S. states have different degrees of marijuana legalization.

As of now 47 of the 50 states allow some form of marijuana to be legal, whether it’s medicinal or recreational. Out of those 47, 11 states have already legalized recreational marijuana. Which is a good amount of states considering that it’s only been 7 years since Colorado and Washington became the first in the country to legalize recreational cannabis. The outlook looks good for a handful more states to become recreational weed states: New York, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Illinois. Once recreational marijuana is legal in these states that will be 30% of the country that allows it at that level, incredible! It’s amazing how quickly laws and attitudes towards something can change once a bit of scientific research goes into it.

As for the states that have legalized medicinal marijuana, well those laws can vary greatly from state to state with some being far more strict than others. For some of these states, only CBD is allowed and in extreme medical instances. Alabama is known for having strict medicinal laws and only allow children experiencing seizures to take non-psychoactive CBD oil. On the other hand New Mexico has a fairly expansive medicinal marijuana program that covers a wide range of ailments such as arthritis, spinal cord damage, and opioid use.

The guide below is a great resource to use when you need a quick and easy guide to the various legalization laws and regulations for each state.