Where Marijuana is Legal & Where it Will Be Legal Soon

There are already 24 states in the US that have legalized marijuana and many more are in tow. We’ve outlined which states have here.

States That Have Legalized Recreational Use

The oldest known written record on cannabis use comes from the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C. and has been used over the years in thousands of different ways. The medicinal uses are well documented, which we’ll discuss in more depth in another article, but it is much more difficult to find information regarding the recreational use of marijuana and cannabis. Unfortunately, politics and legality have dominated most major news outlets when it comes to marijuana use.

Marijuana, though, is widely used throughout the world for recreational use as well as for medicinal purposes.
Most people, who use marijuana or other cannabis products for recreational use, use it in similar ways as those who drink alcohol or smoke tobacco. Many use it as a relaxing herb or stress-reliever but, while many may argue its recreational use is no different than alcohol or tobacco use, the United States effectively stopped its use with the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937.

2016 – Current 4 Legal Use Marijuana States

Reportedly the act was put in place because claims were made about marijuana’s ability to cause men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white women. Since then, though, as technology has advanced and our society as become more informed, the American people have slowly begun to accept the reality of the effects of cannabis. As of 2016, there are the following 4 states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use:

Alaska
Colorado
Oregon
Washington

2016 States That May Legalize For Recreational Use

This number will likely grow considerably in the following years. In fact, the following states could legalize marijuana for recreational use as soon as 2017, depending on the outcome of the 2016 ballots:

Arizona
California
Maine
Massachusetts
Nevada

States That Have Legalized Medical Marijuana Use

There has been an alarming amount of pushback in regards to the legality of cannabis use for medicinal purposes but many people claim that it is only due to the significant loss of income that large pharmaceutical companies would endure should it be legalized. Despite the opposition, many states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use, including the following:

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington

States That Might Legalize For Medical Use In November 2016

In addition to the 24 states that have already legalized cannabis use, at least for medical use, the following states could also legalize marijuana following the ballot results in 2016.