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:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Maine
- Maryland
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Rhode Island
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Kentucky
- Wisconsin
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Nevada
- Missouri
- Texas
- New Hampshire
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- New York
- Ohio
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
- Vermont
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- North Carolina
- Washington
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Utah
- 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:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Arkansas
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Maine
- Maryland
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- Minnesota
- Montana
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- New Mexico
- Ohio
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- 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:
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Maine
- Nevada
- Massachusetts
- Oregon
- Washington
- 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.