Here’s Every State Where Cannabis Is Legal – Time To Legalize at the Federal Level?
Do you support or oppose legalizing pot at the federal level?
Marijuana legalization is sweeping the U.S.
New Mexico’s legalization of marijuana on April 12, 2021, made it the seventh state since November 2020 to legalize recreational pot.
While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level per the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, the US has become a patchwork of state-determined laws pertaining to Cannabis sativa L.: some locales have legalized recreational pot, others medicinal and/or CBD oil, a few states have merely decriminalized the plant, and a handful follow the federal guidelines.
Legalization Status
As of April 13, 2021, marijuana is fully legal in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Legalization is pending in another three states: Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Another 25 states have mixed policies regarding legalization.
Eight states - Alabama, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wyoming - fully prohibit the use of cannabis.
Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. Advocates of recreational marijuana contend that it adds money to the economy, creates jobs, frees up limited police resources to focus on violent crimes, and helps mitigate the racial disparities in marijuana enforcement. They also argue that regulating marijuana can lower street crime, decentivize drug cartels, and make marijuana use safer through mandated testing, labeling, and child-proof packaging.
Medicinal Use
If state-level laws are any indication, marijuana for medical use is significantly more widely accepted than recreational use. As of April 13, 2021, 35 states have legalized medical marijuana. South Dakota is also set to follow suit on July 1, 2021.
CBD oil is legal in seven additional states, leaving only eight states with no medical marijuana allowances of any sort. Unsurprisingly, those are the same eight states where recreational pot also remains prohibited.
Decriminalization
Marijuana decriminalization means individuals caught with small amounts of marijuana won’t be prosecuted--and subsequently won’t receive criminal records or jail sentences. Decriminalization has been a long-standing goal of advocacy organizations such as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). As of April 13, 2021, 19 states have decriminalized marijuana, and will soon be joined by Montana and South Dakota. Thirty states have not decriminalized marijuana.
Even in states that have decriminalized marijuana, possessing larger quantities or selling cannabis may still carry significant penalties. It is therefore important to understand the criminal laws in your state pertaining to marijuana.
Federal marijuana policy
Despite many states loosening marijuana laws, the federal government has yet to follow suit. Under the Controlled Substances Act, federal law continues to prohibit cannabis sale and use. Therefore, even in states where marijuana has been legalized for recreational use, state laws conflict with federal laws.
Marijuana retail businesses, therefore, must remain fully in-state, in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal. The marijuana that a business sells must be grown, sold, used, and taxed within state lines--without using any federal land or means of commerce. This presents a number of complications, including preventing cannabis businesses from using banks (which are federally regulated), deducting business expenses on their federal income taxes (which other businesses are allowed to do), and preventing farmers from using water from federally-managed resources.
-Lorelei Yang & Josh Herman
The Latest
-
IT: 🛢️ New Vermont measure could charge Big Oil for climate damages, and... Do you think Trump is guilty?Welcome to Friday, May 10th, friends... Vermont could be one of the first states to hold Big Oil accountable for the damages read more... -
Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand in Trump Hush Money TrialUpdated May 9, 2024, 5:00 p.m. EST Adult film star Stormy Daniels, also known as Stephanie Clifford, spent two days on the stand read more... Law Enforcement -
Vermont Measure to Charge Big Oil for Climate DamagesWhat’s the story? Vermont is expected to become one of the first states to hold Big Oil accountable for the damages caused by read more... Environment -
IT: Trump's 2016 'deny, deny, deny' campaign strategy, and... How can you help the civilians of Ukraine?Welcome to Wednesday, May 8th, weekenders... As Trump's hush money trial enters it's third week, the 2016 campaign strategy of read more...
Climate & Consumption
Health & Hunger
Politics & Policy
Safety & Security
Legalize it for medical and recreational use just like California!! I'm tired of taking pharmaceutical medicine that is causing liver damage!!!
Please legalize this, I have an anxiety disorder and medical marijuana helped me very much when I lived in California. Now that I live in GA I have had to turn to pharmaceutical drugs that are causing liver damage. Please I don't want to die at a young age. Make medical marijuana legal today.
Eliminate laws unnecessarily placing citizens in jail vs massive alcohol purchasing internationally.If individuals can make decisions to not get vaccinated or wear masks at risk of death- marijuana isn’t lethal. It will require education for proper usage. Both alcohol and pot are drugs.
I am a chronic pain patient who would much rather have the medical cannabis than be a slave to opioid treatment
Yes, it take away pain please do this it should have never been out lowed to begin with.
I believe there is enough drugs in this world that we don't need to add another one to legally help people go out of their minds and do more wrong.
It’s not a gateway drug, if anything it allows you to stay away from those drugs by inducing a high that releases dopamine and promotes creativity it is a safe drug that has no deaths connected to it directly education on it should be shown so that the blasphemous information of it isn’t spread more then it is and plus it promotes a lot with health especially people with eating disorders it grows the appetite and calms the body and has shown that with people who have Parkinson’s or anxiety which are super common.
I have MS and need this past for help in treating me medically. Thank youVickyFuzzell
The vast majority of Americans support legalization of Cannabis and are not being represented appropriately. We the people will be represented or we will choose different representatives.
Yes please - it will do amazing things to take down the drug cartels as well - not to mention help with keeping central American immigrants in their own homes if they have less fear of drug cartels - also if we open up marijuana trade with Central America
Would you want your pilot stoned Then legalize it federally
I support legalizing cannabis. I also support researching and taxing and using taxes to help support universal healthcare for all Americans.
There are so many good reasons to legalize cannabis for adult use, but one I didn’t see already elucidated in the top 10 comments is it will allow researchers to study the effects much more easily. At present the federal government will only authorize research that intends to show negative effects so it’s nearly impossible to study its medicinal qualities, which are numerous. And even the positive social effects it can have such as reducing stress, the fact dependency is nearly unheard of (habit is different than addiction) making it a safer relaxation choice than alcohol or tobacco, and the fact we can tax it to make money for social programs that include everyone, not just those who want to partake. Our schools, infrastructure, police departments, homeless, drug-addicted citizens, and more will benefit, which benefits everyone. Legalize this wonderful plant already! It was a mistake to make it illegal in the first place. Let’s correct that now that we know better!
Yes, we should stop criminalizing people for.weed.
Geez, I feel like I’ve been weighing in on this issue for decades....oh, wait, I have been weighing in on this issue with my full support since 1977! That was the first time I tried cannabis and realized that it was a good thing. A very, very good thing! So come on everybody! Pitch it as a way the 1%’ers and corporations no longer have to pay their fair share (which they absolutely positively do!) because we got cannabis contributions coming in on new taxes. That should mollify those folks for a little while at least. Give you some time to get what’s right done. Then after the legalization is signed, get right back after the 1%’ers and corporations with the Eisenhower tax rates! Oh, and one other very important thing: once cannabis is legal, please release all jailed persons that were incarcerated for anything under 3 ounces. They’ve been there too long, as soon as one minute had gone by! Let them go, please!
If the Texas Three Stooges are acting crazy from smoking marijuana they should stop. If their craziness is their “normal” they should start smoking marijuana every day / except foreign born immigrant Eduardo Raphael Cruz who needs a Truth Pill then locked away in a mental health facility.
Legalize recreational cannabis!
Start your home business right now. Spend more time with your family and earn. Start bringing 55$/hour just on a computer. Very easy way to make your life happy and earning continuously..>>>>>> www.nifty2.com
Just because it could be legal does not mean it should. We really don't need another legal intoxicating agent at hand. At least alcohol has a near objective measure to indicate intoxication, but that is not so with THC. Then there is the issue of blended use alcohol with THC... what then is the intoxicated level for alcohol if you've been using THC. Just another societal woe that the culture will embrace... but it is inevitable.
Keeping cannabis illegal in a few states is contrary to public opinion. It should be legal at the federal level so people who have been incarcerated for ridiculously long times for carrying a joint can be freed from prison. People should no longer have to worry about bringing it home after visiting friends or relatives in states that have already legalized it.