As of 2021, the legal landscape of cannabis in the United States is still in flux. While many states have legal medical and recreational use of cannabis, there are still a number of states that have yet to make their stance on the plant known. This article will explore the changing legal landscape of cannabis in the U.S. and find out where marijuana will be legal in 2023.
Let’s start with the states that have already legal medical and recreational use of cannabis. California was the first state to legal medical use of cannabis in 1996, with Colorado being the first to legal recreational use in 2014. Since then, a number of other states have followed suit and legal the medical and/or the recreational use of cannabis.
States that have legal medical use of cannabis include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. As of 2021, Virginia and South Dakota are both in the process of legal medical cannabis.
States that have legal the recreational use of cannabis include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington. As of 2021, New York and Virginia are both in the process of legal recreational cannabis.
These legal medical and adult-use recreational programs will lead to a decline in stigma around the plant. It's great that, for the first time, states are seeing the potential benefits of cannabis, instead of criminalizing and stigmatizing it.
One of the potential benefits of legal cannabis is the reduction in demand for prescription codeine, an opioid with a high potential for addiction. Studies have shown that states that permit recreational use of cannabis see a reduction in demand for prescription codeine, as more people are turning to cannabis for pain relief.
If the federal government removes marijuana from the list of “schedule one” drugs, weed would finally become legal in Indiana. Currently, Indiana only allows a limited form of medical cannabis, and possession of any form of marijuana is still illegal. Removing marijuana from the list of schedule one drugs would mean that states like Indiana would be able to legal marijuana without fear of federal prosecution.
See where marijuana will be legal in 2023 in the map below, created using data from the National Institutes of Health and the National Conference of State Legislatures. In addition to the states that have already legal the medical and/or recreational use of cannabis, it looks like we could be seeing a few more states onboard in 2023.
The states that could potentially legal marijuana in 2023 are New Mexico, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In New Mexico, a bill to legal the use and sale of recreational weed has already been proposed. In Arizona, a ballot initiative to legal recreational weed has been approved and will go to a vote in November 2022.
In Georgia, a bill to legal medical marijuana has been proposed, and if it’s passed, it would allow for the creation of a regulated medical marijuana program. In Alabama, a bill to legal medical cannabis has been proposed and is currently making its way through the legislature.
In Iowa, a medical cannabis bill has been proposed and is currently being considered by the legislature. In Kentucky, a bill to legal medical marijuana has been proposed and is currently making its way through the legislature. In Nebraska, a bill to legal medical cannabis has been proposed and is currently making its way through the legislature.
In North Carolina, a bill to legal medical cannabis has been proposed and is currently making its way through the legislature. In Tennessee, a bill to legal medical cannabis has been proposed, and if it’s passed, it would allow for the creation of a regulated medical marijuana program.
Finally, in Texas, a bill to legal medical cannabis has been proposed, and if it’s passed, it would allow for the creation of a regulated medical marijuana program.
Overall, it looks like 2023 could be a big year for cannabis legal in the United States. With the potential for several states to legal the medical and/or recreational use of cannabis, it looks like the stigma surrounding the plant could finally begin to fade away.
