Recreational – 12 states
From a non-legal perspective, the most practical way to describe recreational marijuana usage is when marijuana is used without the intent to treat a known medical condition. Rather, the purpose is to achieve the high produced by THC. Users in states where recreational marijuana is legal will typically pick up their product from a licensed dispensary or from a marijuana dealer “off the street.” Users need to be over the age of 21 and are legally allowed to carry, grow, and consume small amounts of marijuana in designations specified by the law. As long as users follow the age, amount, and place of use restrictions, they shouldn’t be fined, arrested, or convicted for using marijuana.

These are the states where marijuana is legal for recreational usage:
• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Maine
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Vermont
• Washington DC
• Washington

Medicinal – 23 states
In contrast to recreational marijuana, very simply, medicinal marijuana is consumed with the intent of providing a therapeutic benefit for a known medical condition. While THC is what gives recreational users what they want, CBD (cannabidiol) is typically what gives medicinal marijuana users the relief that they’re looking for. To assist with this, medical marijuana is usually produced to contain higher amounts of CBD than recreational marijuana and is also produced to contain lower amounts of THC to minimize the psychoactive effects. Users will typically pick up their product from a licensed medical marijuana dispensary using a physician-issued patient ID card. Because marijuana is not federally legal, it has not been approved by the FDA to treat any condition. Physicians, therefore, don’t technically write prescriptions for medical marijuana. Rather, they make a recommendation, which the patient will take to a licensed dispensary to fill. Users need to be over the age of 18. Some states, such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Connecticut, allow minors to use medical marijuana under special conditions.

These are the states where marijuana is legal for medicinal usage:
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Connecticut (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Delaware (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Maryland (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Minnesota (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Missouri (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Montana
• New Hampshire (medicinal and decriminalized)
• New Jersey
• New Mexico (medicinal and decriminalized)
• New York (medicinal and decriminalized)
• North Dakota (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Ohio (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island (medicinal and decriminalized)
• Utah
• West Virginia

Decriminalized – 3 states
In states where marijuana is decriminalized, users will not be prosecuted for possessing a determined amount of marijuana. Think of what happens when you get a speeding ticket—no criminal record or jail time for your traffic violation. Examples of when marijuana possession is treated as harshly as when it is illegal are when the quantity possessed is higher than the determined amount, when it is sold, or when it is consumed in the public, in a moving vehicle, or near a school.

These are the states where marijuana is decriminalized:
• Mississippi
• Nebraska
• North Carolina

Illegal – 13 states
As far away from recreational use as you can get, the definition is pretty straight forward. In line with federal law, marijuana is a Schedule 1 substance, meaning it is treated the same way as heroin or cocaine: it’s considered a highly dangerous drug with no medicinal benefits. Punishment for sale or possession could be as serious as a jail sentence.

These are the states where marijuana is illegal:
• Alabama
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

For more information on the degree of marijuana’s legalization by state, check out this article here. As always, we would love to hear about your experiences with marijuana testing in all states. Submit your information here and follow us on Twitter