In what states is weed legal? Here is the list:
It has been almost ten years since voters in Colorado and Washington approved the use of cannabis for recreational purposes. Since then, the District of Columbia and more than twenty states have adopted the same policy. The first legal cannabis sales to adults 21 and older in New Jersey, which approved legalization in 2020, will start on April 21 – the day following the annual festival of cannabis culture. The majority of states, with the exception of a few, have approved its medical usage, and there is renewed push for federal legalization of the drug. A bill to decriminalize cannabis was just passed by the House, and the Senate is currently considering a measure to legalize the plant.
President Biden made an announcement in the executive branch that he intended to pardon anyone who had been found guilty of cannabis possession at the federal level. In the “coming days,” the Justice Department will start granting certificates of pardon. Additionally, the president’s pardon prevents further federal simple possession prosecutions. But most drug convictions take place at the state level. As a result, Biden has urged governors to follow his lead and has asked the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice to investigate what federal law category cannabis would fall under.
With ballot propositions in Maryland, Missouri, South and North Dakota, and Arkansas, voters in various states had the chance to legalize cannabis during the 2022 midterm elections. While the first two states approved the drug’s recreational usage, North Dakota and Arkansas did not, and it is yet too early to predict the outcome in South Dakota.
What states have legalized recreational cannabis?
Over the past ten years, an increasing number of states have authorized recreational use. Last year, New York became the 15th state to legalize cannabis, but retail sales aren’t anticipated to start there until at least late 2022. Prior to full legalization, the use of cannabis for medical purposes was permitted in every state on this list:
Maryland: Legalized in 2022
Missouri: Legalized in 2022
Connecticut: Legalized in 2021
New Mexico: Legalized in 2021
New York: Legalized in 2021
Virginia: Legalized in 2021
Arizona: Legalized in 2020
Montana: Legalized in 2020
New Jersey: Legalized in 2020
Vermont: Legalized in 2020
Illinois: Legalized in 2019
Michigan: Legalized in 2018
California: Legalized in 2016
Maine: Legalized in 2016
Massachusetts: Legalized in 2016
Nevada: Legalized in 2016
District of Columbia: Legalized in 2014
Alaska: Legalized 2014
Oregon: Legalized in 2014
Colorado: Legalized in 2012
Washington: Legalized in 2012
