Where Weed is Legal in the United States?

Gone are the days when cannabis was frowned upon and cracked down heavily. With CBD legalization and relaxing marijuana laws, state after state has become liberal and forthcoming about cannabis use for both medical and recreational purposes. 

In almost all states in the United States, you have 24/7 access to weed and CBD brands near you. From online CBD stores to offline dispensers, there are plenty of avenues for citizens to experience the healing and therapeutic effects of cannabis sativa plants. 

Millions of Americans now use cannabis in form or their daily lives for better sleep, pain, stress, and anxiety management. For some, it’s natural to chill down and relax after a long and hectic day, while for others, it’s something that keeps them focused, active, and determined about the task at hand. 

CBD or cannabidiol-based products like gummies and oils are more popular now due to their non-intoxicating yet holistic health-positive effects. 

But still, a large chunk of old-school people like to roll up and smoke weed, and for them, it’s essential to understand its legal status in different American states. Through this article, we’ll try to explore and understand the legality of weed across the country. 

States where recreational weed use is legal 

What comes to mind when you hear Minnesota? Well, for most Republicans, the simple answer will be Democratic Vice President Pick Mr. Tim Walz. Each popular sub goes crazy during election season, but Tim Walz is not the only positive thing happening here. 

Minnesota has become one of the most recent and 23rd American states to legalize recreational use of marijuana. It means that you can easily smoke weed in Minnesota without worrying about cops busting you. 

Another recent state to ride the marijuana wave is Ohio, which legalized recreational use in August this year. Within 11 days of legalizing marijuana, Ohio retailers ended up selling close to $22.5 million worth of recreational marijuana. 

Soon, this state will surpass the one-billion-dollar sales mark within the first year of legalizing recreational marijuana. Jamie Callender, the guy who sponsored the legal marijuana bill in Ohio, celebrated this landmark day by buying some of the finest Willie Reserve products on the very first day of dispensary opening. 

Other than these two states, recreational marijuana use is now legal in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, New York, Vermont, Washington, Virginia, and Rhode Island. 

So in total, in 24 American states, you can legally smoke weed for recreational purposes. 

States where medical marijuana is legal

The demand for medical marijuana is at an all-time high. Millions of people are now ditching their common chemical-ridden and opioid-based dependency-forming anxiety and pain medications for medical marijuana products. 

High-grade CBD and THC oils are quite common and popular now among all age groups for improving their overall wellness. In all the recreational states we discussed above, medical marijuana is also legal. 

Other than these, there are 13 more states where marijuana is legal for medical purposes but not for recreational use. 

Now, out of these 13 states, there are some states where it’s decriminalized. This means that carrying it for non-medical use is not legal, but if you are not carrying more than a certain amount, you won’t be prosecuted. 

They are Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Louisiana. This leaves us with Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Here, you can only use weed for medical purposes. For non-medical purposes, you might get fined and even jail time. 

What are the federal laws on cannabis? 

It depends on what kind of cannabis product is in question. Marijuana, or weed, is still treated as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency. It means that it’s in the same class as acid and heroin. 

As per the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, these substances are highly abusable and not suitable for medical use. But things are completely different from hemp and its derivatives, like CBD products.

As per the 2018 farm bill, all hemp-derived CBD products are legal for consumption, production, and sale as long as they don’t contain more than 0.3% of THC by dry weight. This has made all major cannabinoids like CBN, CBC, CBG, CBDVA, and others more popular. 

Almost all American states now follow this, and as a result, you can easily find CBD gummies or tinctures in any corner of the country. The latest surveys show that approximately 90% of Americans believe in cannabis legalization to some extent. 

Only 8% said that it should not be legal at all, whereas 31% advocated for medical use only and 60% advocated for both medical and recreational use. 

The End Note

To sum it up, in 24 American states, weed is completely legal for recreational purposes. Ohio and Minnesota are the most recent ones to pass bills legalizing recreational use of marijuana. CBD, or cannabidiol, products, on the other hand, are legal in almost all 50 states now. 

Still, you should always keep an eye on changing the legal landscape for marijuana in your state, as these laws are quite prone to change with changes in local governance. Be a responsible citizen, respect cannabis laws, and buy CBD only from reputable and well-tested brands like Colorado Botanicals.