The popularity of Cannabidiol (CBD) has skyrocketed in the United States. However, people are still confused about which states approve of CBD, which of recreational marijuana and which of medical marijuana.

Let’s make it clear for you: cannabis that contains more than 0.3% THC is considered marijuana, whereas one that contains less than 0.3% THC is considered hemp. CBD is in fact legal in most states but not all 50. The one place where, medical and recreational marijuana, and CBD is legal is the capital of the United States, Washington, DC.

Here’s a list of all the 46 states where CBD is legal:

 

  1. Alaska
  2. Arizona
  3. Colorado
  4. Alabama
  5. Connecticut
  6. Arkansas
  7. Georgia
  8. California
  9. Delaware
  10. Florida
  11. Maine
  12. Maryland
  13. Hawaii
  14. Illinois
  15. Indiana
  16. Rhode Island
  17. Iowa
  18. Wisconsin
  19. Wyoming
  20. Kentucky
  21. Wisconsin
  22. Massachusetts
  23. Michigan
  24. Mississippi
  25. Nevada
  26. Missouri
  27. Texas
  28. New Hampshire
  29. Louisiana
  30. Minnesota
  31. Montana
  32. New Jersey
  33. North Dakota
  34. New York
  35. Ohio
  36. New Mexico
  37. Oklahoma
  38. Vermont
  39. South Carolina
  40. Tennessee
  41. North Carolina
  42. Washington
  43. Oregon
  44. Pennsylvania
  45. Utah
  46. West Virginia

 

 

Every state has a legal policy regarding the possession of CBD. While CBD is legal in most of the states, the above mentioned states have rather an open view of it. You can read about each state’s policy here: https://www.whatiscbd.com/category/policy/.

Now, let’s come to the areas where marijuana can be used for medical and recreational purposes:

Medical Marijuana

Medical marijuana is legal in the following 30 states:

 

  1. Alaska
  2. Arizona
  3. Colorado
  4. Connecticut
  5. Arkansas
  6. California
  7. Delaware
  8. Florida
  9. Maine
  10. Maryland
  11. Hawaii
  12. Illinois
  13. Massachusetts
  14. Michigan
  15. Nevada
  16. New Hampshire
  17. Minnesota
  18. Montana
  19. New Jersey
  20. North Dakota
  21. New Mexico
  22. Ohio
  23. New York
  24. Oklahoma
  25. Rhode Island
  26. Vermont
  27. Oregon
  28. Pennsylvania
  29. West Virginia
  30. Washington


Recreational Marijuana

Recreational marijuana can be consumed in any form, by people 21 years and older, without a doctor’s prescription. It is legal in the following 9 states:

 

  1. Alaska
  2. California
  3. Colorado
  4. Maine
  5. Nevada
  6. Massachusetts
  7. Oregon
  8. Washington
  9. Vermont

As mentioned earlier, each state changes its stance on the basis of where the CBD is derived from. The keyword here that makes CBD legal is “hemp-derived”.

Now we know that a total of 46 states have legalized the use of CBD in hemp form and marijuana. This leaves us with the four states where marijuana is completely illegal. These states include: South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Idaho. Here, even the use of CBD requires a medical prescription or you will be punishable by law.

So, whether you’re buying CBD or marijuana, no matter in which state you are, to be on the safe side, make sure that you have a medical prescription for its use. Here, even the medical prescription differs, as some states allow CBD for just epileptic seizures, some for cancer treatment and so on.