Legality Of Smoking Weed: A Weed Law By State
This drug from the cannabis plant may have different names such as Marijuana, pot, dope, grass, or weed. It is commonly taken in by smoking, vaping, drinking, or eating.
Some either use it for pleasure while some use it for pure recreation. However, there is a growing number of doctors who prescribe it for some medical conditions. But because there is a weed law by state, smoking weed is illegal at some points.
Understanding Weed Law By State
It’s a very long history of the cannabis plant in the United States. It’s complicated since it was discovered because even the use, sale, and possession of it are illegal under federal law. However, some states have contradicting laws against the federal position.
There are states that outlaw even the medical use of weed. But, they are still outnumbered by those who believe it is illegal. Some treat the use of weed as a normal thing.
For the states where weed is fully legalized, they still have set different policies regarding accessibility, criminalization, and sale. Doing business with the use of weed remains a sticky issue.
Different Names Of Weed
Weed is also known as Marijuana. Some call it pot, bud, or ganja. Many users are familiar with “Mary Jane” which means a mixture of greenish-gray dried Cannabis flowers.
Basically, Cannabis is a psychoactive drug in nature. It’s very useful for medicinal purposes. People also love to use it for recreational purposes.
More than twenty years ago, weed was illegal in all 50 states in the United States of America. Today, only 33 states allow the use of weed in some forms. It led to a different weed law by state.
Different Legislations For Use Of Weed
In 1996, California became the first state to legalize the medical use of weed. There are voters from California who passed Proposition 215. They proposed to legalize the medical use of weed.
Other states namely Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Maine, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, and the District of Columbia, followed this step. They also passed their own medical legislation for weed. Seeing this, more other states have voted for the medical use of weed.
In 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized weed for recreational use. They’re the first states to pass legislation about it. Nine other states and the District of Columbia legalized weed for recreational use too.
These states are Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, and Massachusetts. It also includes Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.
However, Vermont and Washington D.C.’s jurisdictions barred sales for recreation purposes. They only allow the possession and growth of weeds.
22 States Legalizing The Medical Use Of Weed
Perhaps there is a different weed law by state, either they allow it for medical use or recreational use. These are the 22 states that have legalized the medical use of Marijuana:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Utah
- West Virginia
Each state makes sure to regulate strictly the use of weed either for medical or recreational purposes. Here are some things to follow.
Medical weed users must see a marijuana doctor first and seek approval. The user must obtain a marijuana card from the doctor. Obtaining the card requires follow-up appointments and annual renewal. After this online Head Shop started growing online to meet the demand of all the new smokers looking for a new bong, dab rig or glass pipe.
The user must not only be 18 but 21 years old and above to purchase recreational marijuana. Eighteen can be a legal age in the U.S. but those at the age of twenty-one are allowed for acquiring and smoking weed.
Most states only sell weed to dispensaries. It’s heavily regulated and followed. Even the amount of weed that a person can buy, sell, or possess varies per state.
In California, users can only buy up to eight grams of concentrates which you need a Dab Rig in order to smoke. They can’t buy more than six marijuana plants.
Remember that weed is illegal at the federal level. It can only be legal in a state if they have passed legislation.
Weed Legaliziation In The U.S.
Hemp crops, an Asian herb cultivated from the genus Cannabis, were grown for industrial use in early American history. This was even before weed was used as a recreational substance. Even George Washington grew some of this plant.
The passage of the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act became a factor in why the hemp industry ended in the U.S. Not only did it end because of its use but because of the tax implemented for the industry.
In 1970, there was an act called the Controlled Substances Act classifying weed as a Schedule I drug. It means the use of weed has a so-called “high abuse potential without an accepted medical use”.
Thanks to the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. It removed certain cannabis products from the Controlled Substances Act, including hemp.
Because of this, people are legal to produce and market it except for anything with 0.3% or more delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is illegal at the federal level.
There may be these laws but several states and local governments made their way to allow the use of marijuana products. They passed legislation with several restrictions that apply.
Weed Businesses
Are you looking forward to seeking information on where to buy weed? There are cannabis dispensaries set by the local government where marijuana products can be purchased. Even if it’s illegal in a certain state, these licensed dispensaries can sell recreational weed.
This is applicable in states where weeds are legalized for medical use. Don’t confuse yourself with the head shops as you can’t purchase ones from them. Instead, you can only buy paraphernalia from those retail outlets.
It’s expensive to be a licensed dispensary in any state. They make sure you stay in legal compliance with local regulations. That makes it complicated and sometimes the rules change.
Authorities will require a background check on you (as the owner), your employees, and your investors. If you’re planning to start a dispensary, research the existing and hypothetical laws about it.