Timeline of cannabis laws in the United States

Updated on Oct 10, 2024

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The legal history of cannabis in the United States began with state-level prohibition in the early 20th century, with the first major federal limitations occurring in 1937. Starting with Oregon in 1973, individual states began to liberalize cannabis laws through decriminalization. In 1996, California was the first state to legalize medical cannabis, sparking a trend that spread across most other US states. In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use.

Federal

1937: The Marijuana Tax Act is passed, effectively prohibiting all use of cannabis on a federal level.

1970: The Controlled Substances Act is passed, prohibiting cannabis federally along with several other drugs and replacing the 1937 act.

2014: The Rohrabacher–Farr amendment passed the U.S. House and was signed into law. Requiring annual renewal, it prohibits the Justice Department from interfering with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws.

States

Prohibition

1911: Massachusetts requires a prescription for sales of "Indian hemp"

1913: Maine, Wyoming, and Indiana ban marijuana

1915: Utah and Vermont ban marijuana

1917: Colorado legislators made the use and cultivation of cannabis a misdemeanor;

1923: Iowa, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont ban marijuana

1927: New York, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, and Nebraska ban marijuana

1931: Illinois bans marijuana.

1931: Texas declared cannabis a "narcotic", allowing up to life sentences for possession.

1933: North Dakota and Oklahoma ban marijuana. By this year, 29 states have criminalized cannabis.

Decriminalization begins

1973: Oregon decriminalized cannabis.

1973: Texas law was amended to declare possession of four ounces or less a misdemeanor.

1975: Alaska's Supreme Court establishes that the right to privacy includes possession of small amounts of marijuana

1976: Maine decriminalized cannabis.

1977: South Dakota decriminalized cannabis, but repealed that law "almost immediately" afterward.

1973-1978: California, Colorado, Mississippi, New York, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio decriminalized cannabis. Certain cities and counties, particularly in California, adopted laws to further decriminalize cannabis.

1978: New Mexico passes the Controlled Substances Therapeutic Research Act, becoming the first state to pass legislation recognizing the medical value of marijuana.

1979: Virginia passed legislation allowing doctors to recommend cannabis for glaucoma or the side effects of chemotherapy.

1982: Alaska's legislature decriminalizes possession of cannabis

1990: Alaska re-criminalizes cannabis by voter initiative, restoring criminal penalties for possession of any amount of cannabis

Medical marijuana begins

1996: California legalized medical cannabis. (California Proposition 215)

1996: First marijuana dispensary, Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana appears in Fairfax, California, USA.

1998: Oregon, Alaska, and Washington legalized medical cannabis.

1999: Maine legalized medical cannabis.

2000: Hawaii, Nevada, and Colorado legalized medical cannabis. Hawaii became the first state to do so by state legislature.

2004: Montana and Vermont legalized medical cannabis.

2007: New Mexico legalized medical cannabis.

2008: Michigan legalized medical cannabis. Massachusetts decriminalized cannabis.

2010: New Jersey and Arizona legalized medical cannabis. (Arizona's proposition 203)

2010: California decriminalizes possession to a civil infraction

2012: Massachusetts legalized medical cannabis. (Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative)

Recreational legalization begins

2012: Colorado and Washington legalized recreational marijuana for adults 21 years of age or older.

2014: Maryland decriminalized cannabis. Minnesota and New York legalized medical cannabis.

2014: Utah legalizes CBD oil, becoming the first state to legalize a cannabis-based medicine without legalizing medical cannabis entirely.

2014: Oklahoma legalizes trials of CBD oil.

2014: Alaska and Oregon legalized recreational cannabis. Alaska's law took effect on February 25, 2015. Oregon's initiative began on July 1, 2015.

2015: Georgia and Texas legalized CBD oil.

2015: Louisiana legalized medical cannabis.

2015: Delaware decriminalized cannabis.

2016: Ohio and Pennsylvania legalized medical cannabis via state legislature.

2016: Illinois decriminalized cannabis.

2016: California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis via ballot initiative.

2016: Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas legalized medical cannabis via ballot initiative.

Municipal

1906: Washington D.C. requires a prescription for cannabis drugs.

1915: El Paso, Texas restricts cannabis.

1974: Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan, reduce cannabis possession to a civil infraction.

1998: Washington D.C. attempted to legalize medical cannabis with the passage of Initiative 59, but was prevented by the Barr Amendment from putting the new law into action until 2009, with the first legal medical sales occurring in 2013.

2004: Oakland, California passes Measure Z, making private adult cannabis offenses the lowest possible priority for law enforcement, establishing a system to regulate, tax, and sell cannabis pending state legalization, and urging legalization on the state and national levels.

2005: Denver, Colorado legalized cannabis.

2009: Breckenridge, Colorado legalized cannabis.

2013: Portland, Maine legalized cannabis.

2014: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania decriminalized cannabis.

2014: Washington D.C.'s City Council decriminalized cannabis in July, and the electorate voted in November to legalize recreational marijuana with 69% in favor. A Congressional rider prevented D.C. from permitting retail marijuana stores. On February 26, 2015, marijuana became legal in D.C. for adults aged 21 and over to possess, gift and grow but not to sell.

2014: New York City, New York decriminalized cannabis.

2015: Wichita, Kansas, decriminalizes possession of cannabis.

2015: Toledo, Ohio decriminalizes possession of 200 grams of cannabis or less to a citation.

2016: Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis, with Memphis reducing punishment to a $50 fine.

2016: the Ohio cities of Bellaire, Logan, Newark and Roseville decriminalize possession of 200 grams of cannabis or less to a citation.

Territory

2014: Guam legalized medical cannabis.

2014: United States Virgin Islands decriminalizes cannabis.

2015: Puerto Rico legalizes medical cannabis by executive order.

Indian Reservations

2014: The US Justice Department allowed recognized Indian Reservations to regulate cannabis laws within their reservation. The laws in the reservations are allowed to be different from state and federal laws. As with State and Territories, the Federal government will not intervene as long as the reservations regulate strict control over cannabis. Some domestic nations such as the Yakama Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council rejected the approval to allow cannabis on their reservation.

2015: The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe (South Dakota) voted to legalize recreational cannabis on its territory.

Presidential

2015: President Barack Obama declared his support of cannabis decriminalization but opposition to legalization.

Public

1969: Gallup first begins to poll the public on support for legalizing marijuana; the 1969 result was 12% in favor.

2011: Gallup reported a record 50% of Americans surveyed supported legalization.

2013: The Pew Research Center presented U.S. survey results that showed prohibition support as a minority position for the first time in four decades: 52% supported legalization. Gallup reported a record 58% of Americans support nationwide legalization.

2014: Research conducted by the Pew Research Center in February showed an increase in the percentage of legalization supporters, from 52% to 54%, while the New York Times published its Editorial Boards series "High Time: An Editorial Series on Marijuana Legalization" in July.

2015: Gallup reported a record 58% of Americans support marijuana legalization.

2016: an October Gallup poll shows a record 60% of Americans in favor of legalizing recreational cannabis.

References

Timeline of cannabis laws in the United States Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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