Five years ago, without a doctor’s note, it was illegal to smoke marijuana for recreation in the US. However, many states have since gone ahead and legalized pot through the public vote.
States where marijuana is legal include the following:
Alaska
In Alaska at the age of 21, a person is allowed to light up pot as a form of recreation. Use, possession, and transportation of up to an ounce of marijuana have been made legal to residents in 2015 in Alaska. So, if you are from the northern state of US wondering if you are permitted to, go right ahead.
Nevada
On the day of the election, Nevada residents overwhelmingly voted to legalize recreational marijuana. It has since become fine to be in possession of an ounce of this drug. Nevada’s tax office has been directed to put in place regulations by the end of the year to pave the way for a retail launch in 2018. Growing one’s marijuana trees is however restricted to 25 miles from any dispensaries.
Washington and Colorado
In Washington, the use of non-medicinal marijuana has been given the green light. Residents of Washington are allowed to possess up to an ounce of pot. However, to be an eligible grower, one must be using the drug for medicinal purposes. Therefore, smoking pot is not a problem in this state but growing it is outlawed. In Colorado, residents and non-residents can buy pot as it was legalized in 2012 alongside Washington. These two states were the first to legalize recreational marijuana in the US.
California
Among the states that have legalized marijuana for recreation in the US is California. The state allowed the use of pot in 2016, giving residents the go ahead to carry and use it without any prescription. Selling non-medicinal marijuana is still outlawed until the beginning of 2018 when dispensaries will be issued with licenses to sell it.
Washington DC, Oregon, Massachusetts and Maine
In November of 2014, residents of Washington DC voted to make recreational marijuana legal. However, the bill took effect in 2016. Non- medicinal marijuana was allowed as from the summer of 2015 in Oregon. This gave the residents the green light to grow not more than four plants and carry about an ounce of the drug.
Massachusetts will allow its residents to grow 12 plants at home as well as consume small amounts of pot by mid-2018. Maine residents have the legality of carrying more weed than their counterparts in other states in the US. The 2016 legalization of recreational marijuana allowed them to carry up to 2.5 ounces of the pot. However, it will take effect in January of 2018.
In conclusion, that summarizes the states that legalized marijuana for recreational in the US. To buy and use Marijuana in any of the above mentioned states, you are required to be at least 21 years old. Growers have to acquire licenses to become illegible. The other place to buy the drug is a dispensary which must also be licensed.
