Medical marijuana is now legal in the vast majority of U.S. states, with just 12 continuing a full-blown prohibition on the medicine.
California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. In the 25 years since, 37 other states have followed suit, though they have varied greatly in their approach.
Below we breakdown, in alphabetical order, the 38 states that have legalized medical marijuana, followed by the 12 that have not.
States with legal medical marijuana (including a system of licensed dispensaries, unless otherwise noted):
- Alabama – In 2021 Alabama lawmakers approved a limited medical marijuana program. Although the measure doesn’t allow marijuana to be smoked or eaten through edibles, patients can legally access marijuana “tablets, capsules, tinctures, or gel cubes for oral use; gels, oils or creams for topical use, or suppositories, transdermal patches, nebulizers, or liquids or oils for use in an inhaler.”
Qualifying conditions:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Cancer-related cachexia, nausea or vomiting, weight loss, or chronic pain
Crohn’s Disease
Depression
Epilepsy or a condition causing seizures
HIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight loss
Panic disorder
Parkinson’s disease
Persistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment, except for nausea related to pregnancy, cannabis-induced cyclical vomiting syndrome, or cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Sickle Cell Anemia
Spasticity associated with a motor neuron disease, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Spasticity associated with Multiple Sclerosis or a spinal cord injury
Terminal illness
Tourette’s Syndrome
A condition causing chronic or intractable pain in which conventional therapeutic intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective
- Alaska – The medical marijuana program in Alaska was enacted in 1998, just two years after California. Patients with qualifying medical conditions can possess up to one ounce of usable marijuana and grow up to six plants for personal use.
Qualifying conditions:
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic Pain
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Multiple Sclerosis
Nausea
Seizures
- Arizona – Arizona passed its medical marijuana law in 2010. Patients with a physician recommendation can possess up to two and a half ounces of usable marijuana, which they can purchase from a licensed dispensary (as is the case with most on this list).
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Chronic pain
Crohn’s Disease
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV or AIDS
Nausea
Persistent Muscle Spasms
PTSD
Seizures
- Arkansas – Arkansas’ medical marijuana program was approved in 2016, with dispensaries opening in 2019. Patients with qualifying medical conditions can purchase up to 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana every 14 days. If they are more than 25 miles from a dispensary they are also authorized to grow the plant for personal use.
Qualifying conditions:
ALS
Alzheimer’s disease
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Chronic or debilitating disease
Crohn’s disease
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
Intractable pain
Multiple sclerosis
Peripheral neuropathy
PTSD
Seizures
Severe arthritis
Severe nausea
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Tourette’s syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
Any medical condition or its treatment approved by the Department of Health
- California – California passed its medical marijuana law in 1996. Patients with qualifying medical conditions can possess up to eight ounces of usable marijuana and grow up to six mature or 12 immature plants.
Qualifying conditions:
Anorexia
Arthritis
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic Pain
HIV or AIDS
Glaucoma
Migraine
Persistent Muscle Spasms
Severe Nausea
Seizures
Any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been “deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician”
- Colorado – Colorado legalized medical marijuana in 2000. Patients can possess up to two ounces of usable marijuana and can grow up to six plants (although only three can be mature at any given time).
Qualifying conditions:
Any “condition for which a physician could prescribe an opioid”
Autism spectrum disorder
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain
Chronic nervous system disorders
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Nausea
Persistent Muscle Spasms
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
Seizures
- Connecticut – In Connecticut their medical marijuana law was passed in 2012. Patients with a qualifying medical ailment can possess up to 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana every 30 days, and can grow up to six plants (with a maximum of 12 per household).
Qualifying conditions:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Cachexia
Cancer
Cerebral Palsy
Chronic neuropathic pain associated with degenerative spinal disorders
Chronic pain of at least 6 months duration associated with a specified underlying chronic condition refractory to other treatment intervention
Chronic pancreatitis (subject to approval by the legislature’s Regulations Review Committee)
Complex regional pain syndrome
Crohn’s disease
Cystic Fibrosis
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
Hydrocephalus with intractable headache
HIV or AIDS
Huntington’s disease and/or related movement disorders
Interstitial cystitis
Intractable headache syndromes
Intractable neuropathic pain that is unresponsive to standard medical treatments
Intractable spasticity
Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity
Medial arcuate ligament syndrome, or MALS syndrome
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular dystrophy
Neuropathic facial pain
Osteogenesis imperfecta
Parkinson’s Disease
Post herpetic neuralgia
Post-surgical back pain with a condition called chronic radiculopathy
Post laminectomy syndrome
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Severe rheumatoid arthritis
Sickle cell disease
Spasticity
Spasticity or Neuropathic Pain Associated with Fibromyalgia
Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care
Tourette syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder
Vulvodynia and vulvar burning
Wasting syndrome
Other medical conditions may be approved by the Department of Consumer Protection
- Delaware – Delaware legalized medical marijuana in 2011. Although Delaware has a relatively high possession limit of six ounces for patients, home cultivation is not allowed under any circumstances.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Anxiety**
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain (that has not responded to previously prescribed medication or surgical measures for more than three months)
Cirrhosis
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Intractable epilepsy*
Migraine
Nausea
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms (including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis)
- Florida – In Florida patients who possess a recommendation from a physician can purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana from a licensed dispensary. They’re also allowed to purchase and possess a 70-day supply of up to 4,200 mg of THC worth of edibles, 24,500 mg of THC worth of vaporizer products, 14,000 mg of THC of tinctures, 13,650 mg of THC of suppositories, and 10,050 mg of THC worth of tropical creams.
Qualifying conditions:
ALS
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Chronic nonmalignant pain*
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
PTSD
Seizures
Terminal illness (patients diagnosed with no more than 12-months to live)
Other debilitating medical conditions comparable to those enumerated *Defined as “pain that is either caused by or originates from a qualifying medical condition”
- Hawaii – Enacted in 2000, Hawaii’s medical marijuana program allows patients to possess up to four ounces of dried flower and cultivate up to seven plants for personal use. Although Hawaii legalized medical marijuana in 2000, the first dispensary didn’t open its doors until 2017.
Qualifying conditions:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain
Crohn’s disease
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Lupus
Multiple sclerosis
Nausea
Persistent muscle spasms
Post traumatic stress
Rheumatoid arthritis
Seizures
- Illinois -Illinois legalized medical marijuana a decade ago in 2013. The law allows registered patients to possess a 2.5 ounce 14-day supply, and it allows them to grow up to five plants.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Anorexia nervosa
“Any medical condition for which an opioid has been or could be prescribed by a physician based on generally accepted standards of care”
Arnold Chiari malformation
Autism
Cachexia/wasting syndrome
Cancer
Causalgia
Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
Chronic pain
Complex regional pain syndrome type 2
Crohn’s Disease
Dystonia
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Fibrous dysplasia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
Hydrocephalus
Hydromyelia
Interstitial Cystitis
Irritable bowel syndrome
Lupus
Migraines
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Myasthenia Gravis
Myoclonus
Nail patella syndrome
Neuro-Behcet’s autoimmune disease
Neurofibromatosis
Neuropathy
Osteoarthritis
Parkinson’s disease
Polycystic kidney disease
Post-traumatic stress
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Sjogren’s syndrome
Spinal cord disease
Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
Syringomyelia
Tarlov cysts
Tourette’s syndrome
Traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
- Iowa – Iowa has one of the more restrictive medical marijuana laws, first approved in 2014 and altered in the years to follow. The law does not allow home cultivation and does not allow dried flower to be purchased. Instead patients must purchase and use low-THC cannabis preparations such as tinctures and capsules. Because of this Iowa almost didn’t even make this list, but with changes made in 2017 and 2019 to slightly expand the program we decided to include it.
Qualifying conditions:
- Louisiana – Passed in 2015, Louisiana’s medical marijuana is also very restrictive. Patients are allowed a 30-day supply of non-smokable preparations of marijuana, with dispensaries allowed to provide marijuana “in a form to be administered by metered-dose inhaler”. As with Iowa, Louisiana almost didn’t make the list, but given their law is slightly more expansive then the ultra-restrictive laws of states like Tennessee and Wisconsin (which essentially just allow CBD use), we decided to include it.
Qualifying conditions:
Autism spectrum disorders
Cachexia/wasting syndrome
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Intractable pain (defined as “pain so chronic or severe as to otherwise warrant an opiate prescription”)
Muscular dystrophy
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Post traumatic stress disorder
Seizure disorders/spasticity
Severe muscle spasms
- Maine – Maine was one of the first handful of states to legalize medical marijuana in 1999, just 3 years after California. Patients with qualifying medical conditions can possess up to two and a half ounces of usable marijuana and grow up to six mature plants.
Qualifying conditions:
A physician at his or her sole discretion may recommend medical marijuana to any patient for which he/she believes it will benefit.
- Maryland – Passed in 2014, Maryland’s medical marijuana program does allow for licensed dispensaries and allows patients to possess up to 120 grams of useable marijuana every 30 days, but does not allow for home cultivation nor does it allow for edibles.
Qualifying conditions:
Cachexia, Anorexia, or Wasting Syndrome
Chronic or severe pain
Glaucoma
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Seizures
Severe or persistent muscle spasms
Severe nausea
Seizures
Another chronic medical condition which is severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.
- Massachusetts – Surprisingly it took Massachusetts until 2012 to pass their medical marijuana law. Under the law patients with qualifying medical conditions can possess up to 10 ounces every two months. In terms of home cultivation, the law states that “The Department shall issue a cultivation registration to a qualifying patient whose access to a medical treatment center is limited by verified financial hardship, a physical incapacity to access reasonable transportation, or the lack of a treatment center within a reasonable distance of the patient’s residence.” If given such a registration, a patient can cultivate a 60-day supply of marijuana.
Qualifying conditions:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Hepatitis C
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Other conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s physician
- Michigan – Michigan legalized medical marijuana in 2008, allowing qualified patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces of dried marijuana. The program also allows patients to grow up to 12 marijuana plants, one of the highest limits on this list. The program allows for a licensed system of dispensaries in order to provide patients with marijuana and marijuana products.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Arthritis
Austism
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Cerebral palsy
Colitis
Chronic pain
Crohn’s disease
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Hepatitis C
Nail patella
Nausea
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Parkinson’s
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Spinal cord injury
Tourette’s syndrome
Ulcerative colitis
- Minnesota – Although Minnesota first passed their medical marijuana law in 2014, patients weren’t allowed to inhale marijuana or purchase herbal forms of the plant until 2022. The possession limit is set at 2.5 ounces, with no personal cultivation allowed.
Qualifying conditions:
Age-related macular degeneration
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Autism
Cancer/cachexia
Chronic pain
Chronic vocal or motor tic disorder *
Crohn’s disease
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Intractable pain
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Sickle cell disease *
Sleep apnea
Terminal illness
Tourette’s Syndrome
- Mississippi – In Mississippi, where medical marijuana was legalized recently in 2021, qualified patients can legally possess up to 3.5 grams of dried marijuana and up to one gram of marijuana concentrates per day. Dried marijuana is capped at 30% THC, and concentrates are capped at 60%.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Autism
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain (refractory)
Crohn’s disease
Diabetic/peripheral neuropathy
Dementia-realted agitation
Glaucoma
hepatitis
HIV/AIDS
Huntington’s disease
Muscular dystrophy
Nausea
Parkinson’s disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Sickle cell disease
Pastic quadriplegia
Spinal cord disease
Ulcerative colitis
- Missouri – In Missouri patients can possess up to six ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants. The law was passed in 2018.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease (agitation related to)
Any terminal illness
Autism
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Chronic pain/neuropathy
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS or cachexia or wasting syndrome
Huntington’s disease
IBS
Intractable migraines
Lou Gehrig’s disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Opioid substitution
Parkinson’s disease
PTSD or other “debilitating psychiatric disorders”
Tourette syndrome
Sickle cell anemia
Seizures
Any “other chronic, debilitating or other medical condition” that may be alleviated by marijuana “in the professional judgement of a physician”
- Montana – Some may be surprised to know that Montana was a relatively early adopter of medical marijuana, first passing their law in 2004. Under the law a registered medical marijuana cardholder who has named a provider may possess up to one ounce of usable marijuana. If they have not named a provider they may also possess up to 4 mature plants, 4 seedlings, and the amount of usable marijuana allowed by the department by rule.
Qualifying conditions:
Admittance into hospice care in accordance with rules adopted by the department
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Central nervous system disorder resulting in chronic, painful spasticity or muscle spasms
Crohn’s disease
Epilepsy or an intractable seizure disorder
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Intractable nausea or vomiting
Painful peripheral neuropathy
Post traumatic stress disorder
Severe chronic pain that is persistent pain of severe intensity that significantly interferes with daily activities as documented by the patient’s treating physician
- Nevada – Nevada passed its medical marijuana laws in 2000. Patients can possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and grow up to 12 plants if they’re not within 25 miles of a dispensary or they are growing a strain not offered by a local dispensary.
Qualifying conditions:
Anorexia
Anxiety disorders
Autism spectrum disorders
Autoimmune disorders
AIDS / HIV
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain
Glaucoma
Opioid dependency
Muscle spasms or seizures
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Neuropathic conditions (whether or not the condition causes seizures)
Severe nausea or pain
Other conditions are subject to approval
- New Hampshire – New Hampshire legalized medical marijuana in 2013, allowing patients to possess up to two ounces. Although the initial law allowed just four dispensaries throughout the entire state, this number was increased with the passage of a 2018 bill.
Qualifying conditions:
ALS
Alzheimer’s disease
Autism
Cachexia
Cancer
Chemotherapy induced anorexia
Chronic Pain
Chronic pancreatitis
Crohn’s disease
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Elevated intraocular pressure
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C (currently receiving antiviral treatment)
HIV/AIDS
Insomnia
Lupus
Moderate to severe vomiting
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Nausea
Opioid use disorder
Parkinson’s disease
Persistent muscle spasms
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Seizures
Severe pain (that has not responded to previously prescribed medication)
Spinal cord injury or disease
Traumatic brain injury
Wasting syndrome
- New Jersey – Although New Jersey legalized medical marijuana in 2010, state officials were notoriously slow to rollout the program, resulting in an extremely limited number of dispensaries operating in the state for years. Even years later, although the law has loosened some, there are still just over 20 dispensaries in the state. Patients are allowed up to three ounces per month.
Qualifying conditions:
Addiction substitute therapy for opioid reduction
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Anxiety
Cancer (includes associated chronic pain and/or severe nausea)
Chronic pain
Chronic visceral pain
Crohn’s disease
Dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps)
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS (includes associated chronic pain and/or severe nausea)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Migraines
Multiple Sclerosis
Muscular Dystrophy
Opioid dependency
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Seizure and/or spasticity disorders
Tourette’s syndrome
Any terminal illness if a doctor has determined the patient will die within a year
- New Mexico – Passed in 2007, New Mexico’s medical marijuana program allows patients to purchase up to eight ounces over a 90-day period. They can also cultivate up to 12 plants, though only four can be considered mature at any given time.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Anorexia/cachexia
Anxiety
Autism spectrum disorder
Cancer
Cervical dystonia
Crohn’s disease
Epilepsy and other seizure disorders
Friedreich’s ataxia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C infection
HIV/AIDS
Hospice patients
Huntington’s disease
Inflammatory autoimmune-mediated arthritis
Intractable nausea/vomiting
Lewy body disease
Multiple sclerosis
Obstructive sleep apnea
Opioid dependency or other substance abuse disorders
Painful peripheral neuropathy
Parkinson’s disease
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Severe chronic pain
Spasmodic torticollis
Spinal cord damage
Spinal muscular atrophy
Ulcerative colitis
- New York – New York’s medical marijuana law was passed in 2014, nearly two decades after California, and was limited to certain marijuana products with smoking being prohibited. It wasn’t until 2021 that the state altered its law to allow for dried marijuana to be sold and consumed through inhalation.
Qualifying conditions:
Acute pain management
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Cancer
Chronic pain
Epilepsy
HIV/AIDS
Huntington’s Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Parkinson’s Disease
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Multiple Sclerosis
Neuropathies
Opioid substitution
Spinal cord damage
Any other condition that the practitioner believes can be treated with medical cannabis
- North Dakota – Passed in 2016 the program in North Dakota allows patients to purchase up to three ounces of dried marijuana from a licensed dispensary. They are not allowed to grow their own or purchase edibles.
Qualifying conditions:
Agitation from Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Anorexia nervosa
Anxiety disorder
Autism spectrum disorder
Brain injury
Bulimia nervosa
Cachexia or Wasting syndrome
Cancer
Chronic or debilitating disease
Crohn’s disease
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Endometriosis
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
Interstitial cystitis
Intractable nausea
Neuropathy
Migraine
Multiple sclerosis
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rheumatoid arthritis
Seizures
Severe and persistent muscle spasms
Severe debilitating pain
Spinal stenosis
Tourette syndrome
- Ohio – Ohio passed its medical marijuana laws in 2016, allowing patients to possess up to a 90-day supply of usable marijuana including oils, tinctures, edibles, patches and dried flower.
Qualifying conditions:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Arthritis*
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic migraines*
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Complex regional pain syndrome*
Crohn’s disease
Epilepsy or other seizure disorders
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
Huntington’s disease*
Inflammatory bowel disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Pain that is either of the following nature: (i) Chronic and severe; or (ii) Intractable
Parkinson’s disease
Positive status for HIV
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Sickle cell anemia
Spasticity*
Spinal cord disease or injury
Terminal illness*
Tourette’s syndrome
Traumatic brain injury
Ulcerative colitis
- Oklahoma – Patients under Oklahoma’s medical marijuana law, passed in 2018, are allowed to purchase up to three ounces of marijuana and grow up to six plants. Oklahoma has become known for having one of the largest number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the country given the relatively minimal licensing fee and the lack of a cap on the number of outlets allowed.
Qualifying conditions:
The decision to recommend cannabis therapy is up to the discretion of the treating physician.
- Oregon – Oregon quickly followed California’s lead, legalizing medical marijuana just two years later in 1998. Oregon’s possession limit for patients is the highest in the country at 24 ounces. The state also allows patients to cultivate up to six mature and 18 immature plants.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s disease
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Nausea
Persistent muscle spasms
Post-traumatic stress
Seizures
- Pennsylvania – The law Pennsylvania passed in 2018 only allowed marijuana pills, oils, topical ointments, tinctures or liquids. However, in 2018 the state Health Secretary approved a recommendation to allow dispensaries to sell dried marijuana flower, which patients are not permitted to smoke but can vape.
Qualifying conditions:
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Anxiety disorders
Autism
Cancer, including remission therapy
Crohn’s disease
Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity and other associated neuropathies
Dyskinetic/spastic movement disorders
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Huntington’s disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Intractable seizures
Multiple Sclerosis
Opioid dependency
Neurodegenerative disorders
Neuropathies
Parkinson’s disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Sickle cell anemia
Severe chronic or intractable pain
Terminal illness (defined as 12 months or fewer to live)
Tourette syndrome
- Rhode Island – Passed in 2006, Rhode Island’s medical marijuana law is very similar to many other states, allowing patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces and grow up to 12 plants, with licensed dispensaries authorized to distribute marijuana and marijuana products to those who qualify.
Qualifying conditions:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Austism
Cachexia
Cancer
Chronic pain
Crohn’s disease
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV/AIDS
Nausea
Persistent muscle spasms
Post traumatic stress disorder
Seizures
- South Dakota – Under South Dakota’s 2020 law patients can grow up to three plants and possess up to three ounces of marijuana. The law is limited to those with a “debilitating medical condition,” defined as “a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis”.
Qualifying conditions:
A “debilitating medical condition,” is as “a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe, debilitating pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of multiple sclerosis”.
- Utah – In Utah medical marijuana may be purchased and consumed in the form of “tablets,” “capsules,” “concentrated oils,” “topical preparations,” “transdermal preparations,” “sublingual preparations,” or in a” a liquid suspension,” or as a “a gelatinous cube or lozenge.” Dosage limits can’t exceed 20 grams of THC per single dose. A 30-day supply of “unprocessed cannabis” can’t exceed 113 grams by weight. The restrictive law was passed in 2018.
Qualifying conditions:
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
Alzheimer’s disease
Autism
Cachexia
Cancer
Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
HIV/AIDS
Epilepsy or a similar condition that causes “debilitating seizures”
Multiple sclerosis or persistent and debilitating muscle spasms
Nausea (must be persistent)
Pain lasting longer than two weeks that is not adequately managed despite treatment attempts
PTSD “that is being treated or monitored by a licensed mental health therapist”
Any terminal illness where life expectancy is less than six months
Any condition resulting in hospice care
- Vermont – Vermont passed their medical marijuana law in 2004, with few changes made since then. Patients can possess up to two ounces, and although they can grow nine plants only two can be mature.
Qualifying conditions:
Any patient receiving hospice care
Cachexia or wasting syndrome
Cancer
Crohn’s disease (effective July 1, 2017)
Glaucoma
HIV or AIDS
Multiple Sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease (effective July 1, 2017)
PTSD (effective July 1, 2017)
Seizures
Severe or chronic pain
Severe nausea
- Virginia – Virginia legalized medical marijuana in 2020. Patients with qualifying medical conditions can possess up to four ounces per 30-day period of dried marijuana, and can possess marijuana products with up to 10 mg of THC per dose. Up to four plants can be grown for personal cultivation.
Qualifying conditions:
Any condition or disease determined by a practitioner
- Washington – Washington passed its medical marijuana laws in 1998, with severe alterations made by the state’s legislature after voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2012. Under the 2013 law patients who enter into a voluntary patient database may possess up to 48 ounces of marijuana-infused product in solid form; 3 ounces of useable marijuana; 216 ounces of marijuana-infused product in liquid form; or 21 grams of marijuana concentrates. Those not entered into the database can possess up to eight ounces.
Qualifying conditions:
Cachexia
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
Glaucoma
Hepatitis C
HIV or AIDS
Intractable pain
Persistent muscle spasms, and/or spasticity
Nausea
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Seizures
Traumatic Brain Injury
Any “terminal or debilitating condition”
- West Virginia – As part of West Virginia’s 2017 medical marijuana law, patients are permitted to to possess marijuana int he form of infused pills, oils, topicals, liquids, or dermal patches. Marijuana may also be consumed in “dry leaf” or “plant form” and/or “in a form medically appropriate for administration by vaporization or nebulization.”
Qualifying conditions:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Cancer
Crohn’s disease
HIV/AIDS
Epilepsy
Huntington’s disease
Intractable seizures
Multiple sclerosis
Neuropathies (chronic nerve pain)
Parkinson’s disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Severe chronic or intractable pain
Spinal cord damage
Sickle cell anemia.
Terminally illness
States that have not legalized medical marijuana (though some have restrictive laws allowing for the medical use of marijuana-derived CBD):
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Wisconsin
