Canada just officially legalized weed throughout the entire damn country. Aren’t they just so damn lucky.
Here in the U.S., marijuana legalization is slowly eking out victories on a state-by-state basis. In the 2016 election, which was bad for most reasons but good for this one, 6 states got on board with legal weed. It was a significant victory for cannabis consumers, who face formidable opposition from the federal government.
On a federal level, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I drug with a “high potential for abuse,” right up there with heroin, ecstasy, and peyote. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who thinks “good people don’t smoke marijuana” and is also a flaming racist, rescinded an Obama-era memo that protected states where marijuana is legal from most federal prosecution.
But more and more politicians—on both sides of the aisle—think it’s stupid to not legalize marijuana, or at least are trying to gives states the right to decide for themselves. And congressional support is growing for a proposed Marijuana Justice Act, which would go beyond legalizing cannabis on a federal level to attempting to make things right in communities most targeted by cannabis arrests.
Who knows. Maybe one day the federal government will get its shit together. Until then, here the nine states plus the District of Columbia where it’s legal to buy and consume recreational marijuana, as well as the 29 states plus D.C. that have approved medical marijuana. (Note: This is a general outline; specifics on homegrown plants, concentrates, etc. differ per state.)
States with Legal Recreational Weed
Alaska
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana
- legal to grow up to six marijuana plants per household
California
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
Colorado
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce of marijuana
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
District of Columbia
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to two ounces
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
Maine
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to 2.5 ounces
- legal to grow up to three flowering plants per household
Massachusetts
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
Nevada
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
Oregon
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce on their person and up to eight ounces at home
- legal to grow up to four plants per person
Vermont
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce
- legal to grow up to six plants per household
Washington
- legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to one ounce
- illegal to grow plants
States with Legal Medical Marijuana
In addition to the nine states plus D.C. with legalized recreational weed, these states have legalized medical marijuana:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
Credit: www.esquire.com