Cannabis legalization is on a roll! On Monday, New York became the twenty-third state to legalize medical cannabis. On Tuesday, Washington’s first recreational marijuana dispensaries opened their doors. This year, eleven states have approved the use of CBD oil to treat epilepsy, and two more are just a signature away. Voters in three states plus DC will have the opportunity to approve medical or recreational cannabis this November, and legislators in many other states are considering legalizing medical marijuana, treating cannabis like alcohol, reducing penalties for marijuana possession, and allowing industrial hemp.
Let’s take a look at where the states stand on cannabis legalization, shall we?
Alabama
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *In April, the state approved “Carly’s Law,” which allows the use of CBD to treat childhood epilepsy. The University of Alabama at Birmingham will prescribe and administer the treatment.
HB 76, currently in committee, would reduce penalties for first-time possession.
Alaska
Medical cannabis: Since 1999
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: On November 4, voters will decide whether to treat marijuana like alcohol.
Arizona
Medical cannabis: Since 2010
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists failed to gather enough signatures to get recreational cannabis on the ballot in 2014, but they will likely try again in 2016.
Arkansas
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists failed to gather enough signatures to get medical or recreational cannabis on the ballot in 2014, and they have now turned their sights to 2016.
California
Medical cannabis: Since 1996
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Recreational cannabis advocates decided to wait until the 2016 election to take advantage of the higher voter turnout.
Colorado
Medical cannabis: Since 2001
Recreational cannabis: Since January 1, 2014
2014 legislation: Numerous bills refining the law allowing recreational marijuana have been introduced and passed in 2014. The state has earned $11 million in taxes on recreational cannabis so far this year.
Connecticut
Medical cannabis: Since 2012
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Nothing on recreational marijuana, but the governor did sign a bill approving a study on the feasibility of growing industrial hemp.
Delaware
Medical cannabis: Effective July 1, 2014
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Medical marijuana was passed by voters in 2011, but the pilot “compassion center” authorized to grow medical cannabis for the state was not authorized to begin growing until this month. The first dispensary is expected to open in a few months. A bill to eliminate penalties for personal possession of marijuana (HB 371) is in committee.
District of Columbia (Washington, DC)
Medical cannabis: Since 2010
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: In March, the DC Council decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. More than 58,000 signatures were gathered to put marijuana decriminalization on the November 4 ballot. Assuming the signatures are verified, DC voters will decide whether to allow possession of up to two ounces of cannabis and cultivation of up to six plants at home.
Florida
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *In June 2014, the governor signed SB 1030 and SB 1700, which legalize the high-CBD strain Charlotte’s Web for the treatment of epilepsy. It will become available in January 2015.
This November, voters will have the opportunity vote yes on Amendment 2, which would fully legalize medical cannabis for other ailments. A recent poll found 88 percent approval for the measure!
Georgia
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: HB 1107 would provide funding for clinical trials on the effectiveness of cannibidiol (CBD) on juvenile epilepsy. The bill is currently in front of the House Second Readers.
Hawaii
Medical cannabis: Since 2000
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A two-year pilot program on industrial hemp was approved by the legislature.
Illinois
Medical cannabis: Effective January 1, 2014
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The program began at the beginning of the year, but the rules have still not been fully worked out. No one has legal access to medical cannabis yet. An act to create a study determining the feasibility of regulating cannabis like alcohol (HB 5411) is currently in front of the Rules Committee.
Indiana
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The legislature legalized industrial hemp, pending federal approval. SB 0314, which would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, and HB 1185, which would reduce jail sentences for people with a valid prescription, are in committee.
Iowa
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *On July 1, the state approved the use of CBD to treat childhood epilepsy. Parents will have to buy the medicine in other states.
Kentucky
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *In April, Governor Beshear approved a bill that will allow the use of CBD oil for epileptic children. The oil will be extracted from industrial hemp, which was approved in February.
Twin bills to legalize medical cannabis are in front of committees in the upper and lower houses.
Louisiana
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Several bills to reduce penalties for possession have been introduced, but nothing has made it out of committee.
Maine
Medical cannabis: Since 1999
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Just minor adjustments to the medical marijuana law.
Maryland
Medical cannabis: Effective June 1, 2014
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The legislature approved medical marijuana this spring, but the details are still being worked out. Patients probably won’t get access until some time next year.
Massachusetts
Medical cannabis: Effective 2013
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The Department of Public Health recently announced that eleven dispensaries have been approved. They may begin operating as soon as November.
Michigan
Medical cannabis: Since 2008
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: No
Minnesota
Medical cannabis: Effective May 30, 2014
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The recently enacted law is not allowing access to medical cannabis just yet. Two manufacturers will be approved next year, and eight distribution sites will open in 2016.
Mississippi
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *In April, Governor Bryant signed a bill approving CBD use for epileptic children. Pending federal approval, it will be manufactured and distributed by the University of Mississippi.
Missouri
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill permitting the use of CBD for epileptic children has passed the legislature and is awaiting Governor Nixon’s signature. Bills containing a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana, a pilot program for medical marijuana, and decriminalization of hemp are all in legislative committees.
Montana
Medical cannabis: Since 2004
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists are planning to gather signatures to get the legalization of recreational use on the 2016 ballot.
Nebraska
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists failed to gather enough signatures for a medical marijuana amendment, and legislators failed to act on a medical marijuana bill, but the legislature did pass a bill allowing industrial hemp cultivation for research.
Nevada
Medical cannabis: Approved by voters in 2001, but dispensaries didn’t open until this year
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists are working to get recreational use on the 2016 ballot.
New Hampshire
Medical cannabis: Since 2013
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The House approved and then voted down a legalization bill that lacked support from the Senate and the governor.
New Jersey
Medical cannabis: Passed legislature in 2010, finally signed by the governor in 2013
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill to treat marijuana like alcohol has been introduced and referred to committee, but Governor Christie has vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk.
New Mexico
Medical cannabis: Since 2007
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill to legalize recreational marijuana was shot down, but a bill to fund a study of the effects of the legalization in Colorado and Washington is pending.
New York
Medical cannabis: Approved on July 7, 2014
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: The medical cannabis act will be rolled out in the Empire State over the next eighteen months.
North Carolina
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill giving epileptic children access to CBD oil has passed the legislature, and Governor McRory has said he will sign it. A bill to amend the constitution to allow medical marijuana (H 1161) has been sent to the Judiciary committee.
North Dakota
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: No
Ohio
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists failed to get enough signatures to put medical marijuana on the 2014 ballot. A similar bill has been stuck in committee since last year.
Oklahoma
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Activists are gathering signatures to put a medical cannabis proposal on the 2014 ballot.
Oregon
Medical cannabis: Since 1998
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Assuming the signatures are validated, Initiative Petition 53, the Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act, will go before voters on November 4.
Pennsylvania
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A medical marijuana bill was recently referred to the Appropriations committee. While the bill has bipartisan support, Governor Corbett has vowed to veto it if it reaches his desk.
Rhode Island
Medical cannabis: Effective 2006
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Twin bills that would regulate marijuana like alcohol were introduced in the House and Senate last month. Governor Chaffee has indicated he might support legalization.
South Carolina
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *Several medical cannabis bills have been introduced, but the only one to pass is the Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Treatment Research Act, which allows epileptic children to use CBD. A committee has been designated to determine how to create and distribute the medicine.
South Dakota
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: No
Tennessee
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: In April, Governor Haslam signed a bill that allows CBD for the treatment of juvenile epilepsy. Pending federal approval, the medicine will studied by Vanderbilt University and grown by Tennessee Tech.
Tennessee also approved a robust industrial hemp bill in May.
Texas
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: No
Utah
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *“Charlee’s Law,” which legalizes CBD for epileptic children, was passed in March, but it’s still unclear how parents will obtain this medicine.
Vermont
Medical cannabis: Since 2004
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill legalizing recreational use is in committee but unlikely to pass.
Virginia
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: Nothing on the state level, but Republican Representative Morgan Griffith has proposed rescheduling marijuana to a Schedule II substance under federal law.
Washington
Medical cannabis: Since 1998
Recreational cannabis: Effective July 8, 2014
2014 legislation: Recreational use of marijuana, approved by voters in 2012, finally began this week when the first twenty-five dispensaries opened their doors to long lines of eager purchasers.
West Virginia
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: A bill allowing medical cannabis (HB 4264) was introduced and referred to the House Health and Human Resources committee.
Wisconsin
Medical cannabis: No*
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: *In April, Governor Walker signed a bill approving the use of CBD for epileptic children. The bill requires FDA approval for a clinical trial, which has not happened yet. A bill allowing full medical marijuana died in April.
Wyoming
Medical cannabis: No
Recreational cannabis: No
2014 legislation: An act lowering criminal penalties failed at introduction in February.
It’s heartening to see that so many states are taking steps to change their unjust cannabis laws, but we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that all Americans can have safe, legal access to the medicine they need.
As we’ve pointed out before, the CBD-only laws are a step in the right direction, but they only reinforce the idea that THC is not a useful medicine—which it absolutely is!—and they offer no relief to people suffering diseases other than epilepsy. If you live in one of the eleven states that passed these laws in 2014, be sure to tell your state representatives that they have more work to do.
And if you’re in Alaska, DC, Florida, or Oregon, be sure to vote YES this November.
The post Let’s Clarify the State Laws on Cannabis: Who’s in, Who’s Out? appeared first on United Patients Group.