On Election Day in 2012, voters in Colorado and Washington adopted ballot measures legalizing recreational cannabis use and sale, making them the first states in the United States to do so.
Twenty-three more states, Washington, D.C., and Guam would legalize the substance over the next 11 years, as popular support for legalization soared despite marijuana’s federal prohibition.
Some types of the cannabis plant, sometimes known as marijuana or pot, contain a psychoactive chemical known as THC, which causes a “high” when consumed.
Marijuana legalization is now widely supported by Democratic leaders, and some Republicans agree with the idea. State legislatures are debating whether and how to legalize the substance, and many marijuana-related proposals, including those aimed at decriminalizing it on the federal level, have been submitted in Congress. On April 1, 2022, the House passed a marijuana decriminalization measure; months later, numerous senators, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, presented the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would nationally decriminalize marijuana, according to Marijuana Moment. The bill has not proceeded forward.

The movement to relax marijuana punishment took a new turn in October 2022, when President Joe Biden announced that he would pardon everyone convicted of the federal crime of simple marijuana possession, while encouraging governors to follow suit for convictions under state laws. The proclamation will apply to approximately 6,500 Americans, although a senior White House official told reporters that no one is currently in jail for simple possession of marijuana.
Opponents argue that marijuana poses a public health and safety danger, and some are morally opposed to legalization. Proponents, on the other hand, say that it is less hazardous than alcohol and cite evidence of therapeutic benefits such as stress and pain alleviation.
States where legal recreational marijuana has been approved:
- Colorado
- Washington
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Washington, D.C.
- California
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- Michigan
- Vermont
- Guam
- Illinois
- Arizona
- Montana
- New Jersey
- New York
- Virginia
- New Mexico
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Delaware
- Minnesota
- Ohio
Vermont will have retail marijuana on the shelves in October 2022, followed by New York in December of that year. In contrast, despite the fact that marijuana usage is legal in the District of Columbia, there is currently no regulated recreational market. Meanwhile, Guam’s retail business has been developing slowly.
Meanwhile, Ohio voters approved a ballot initiative in November 2023, becoming the state the most recent to legalize recreational marijuana. However, a ballot measure in Oklahoma that would have legalized recreational use failed to receive enough votes on March 7, 2023.
States have their own methods for regulating dispensaries, but in all states where marijuana is legal, businesses selling marijuana must obtain a state license.
States control and tax sales at various rates. Some states impose an excise tax on sales, which are taxes on a specific good – in this case, marijuana – levied on the seller, who usually passes it on to the customer by including it in the product’s price.
Provisions governing how much marijuana an adult can legally possess, whether adults can grow their own marijuana plants, and how tax revenue is spent differ per state.