Apr 25 2024

38 States Have Legalized Medical Marijuana: An In-Depth Breakdown

At the time of publication, 38 states—76% of the entire nation—have legalized medical marijuana.

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. Less than 30 years later and 37 other states have followed suit, in addition to a handful of other states that have legalized low-THC marijuana oil.

Below is a breakdown of all 38 states that have passed comprehensive medical marijuana programs, with information on teach state’s possession limits, whether or not they allow licensed dispensaries, and if they allow patients to grow their own marijuana at home.

Alabama

  • Possession Limit: Up to 70 daily dosages (daily dose cannot exceed 75 milligrams of THC per day)
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, chronic pain, and others where alternative treatments are ineffective.
  • More Information: Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission

Alaska

  • Possession Limit: 1 ounce of usable marijuana
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 plants, with no more than 3 flowering at one time
  • Qualifying Conditions: Chronic or debilitating diseases or medical conditions that substantially limit major life activities or could be alleviated by the medical use of marijuana.
  • More Information: Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

Arizona

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, if living more than 25 miles from a dispensary
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain, and other conditions subject to approval.
  • More Information: Arizona Department of Health Services

Arkansas

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Tourette’s syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, PTSD, severe arthritis, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s disease.
  • More Information: Arkansas Department of Health

California

  • Possession Limit: 8 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 mature or 12 immature plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Any debilitating illness where medical marijuana provides relief.
  • More Information: California Department of Public Health

Colorado

  • Possession Limit: 2 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 plants, with 3 flowering at one time
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, persistent muscle spasms, seizures, severe nausea, and severe pain.
  • More Information: Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Connecticut

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces per month
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, beginning in 2023
  • Qualifying Conditions: Include cancer, glaucoma, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, among others.
  • More Information: Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection

Delaware

  • Possession Limit: 6 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, cancer, chronic pain, cirrhosis, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, intractable epilepsy, migraine, PTSD, severe and persistent muscle spasms, and others.
  • More Information: Delaware Health and Social Services

Florida

  • Possession Limit: Amount varies by prescription
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: ALS, cancer, Crohn’s disease, chronic nonmalignant pain, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, seizures, terminal illnesses, and other debilitating medical conditions comparable to those enumerated.
  • More Information: Florida Health Medical Marijuana

Hawaii

  • **Poss- Possession Limit: 4 ounces; 10-day supply
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 10 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: ALS, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis, nausea, persistent muscle spasms, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis, seizures.
  • More Information: Hawaii Department of Health Medical Cannabis Program

Illinois

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 5 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Over 50 conditions including ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, anorexia nervosa, autism, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis, seizures, severe fibromyalgia, spinal cord disease, and many others.
  • More Information: Illinois Department of Public Health

Kentucky

  • Possession Limit: Specific details are to be determined as regulations are finalized.
  • Dispensaries: Yes, but they won’t be open until 2025
  • Home Grow: Not currently
  • Qualifying Conditions: Specific details to be determined as regulations are finalized.
  • More Information: Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program

Louisiana

  • Possession Limit: 30-day supply of non-smokable forms
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spasticity, severe muscle spasms, intractable pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and some symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder.
  • More Information: Louisiana Board of Pharmacy

Maine

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 mature plants, 12 immature
  • Qualifying Conditions: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia or wasting syndrome, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or seizures, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, nausea, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, and other conditions as approved.
  • More Information: Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Program

Maryland

  • Possession Limit: 120 grams unless otherwise prescribed
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Up to 2 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Anorexia, cachexia, glaucoma, PTSD, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, and other chronic medical conditions which are severe and for which other treatments have been ineffective.
  • More Information: Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission

Massachusetts

  • Possession Limit: 10 ounces every 60 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions that interfere with daily activities as documented by the patient’s provider.
  • More Information: Massachusetts Medical Use of Marijuana Program

Michigan

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 12 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, cachexia or wasting syndrome, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, colitis, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, nail patella, nausea, PTSD, seizures, severe and persistent muscle spasms.
  • More Information: Michigan Medical Marijuana Program

Minnesota

Mississippi

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, epilepsy or other seizures, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cachexia, PTSD, positive status for HIV/AIDS, chronic or debilitating pain.
  • More Information: Mississippi Department of Health Medical Marijuana

Missouri

  • Possession Limit: 4 ounces every 30 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, with cultivation license
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, intractable migraines unresponsive to other treatment, a chronic medical condition that causes severe, persistent pain or persistent muscle spasms, debilitating psychiatric disorders, including, but not limited to, PTSD, HIV or AIDS, a chronic medical condition that is normally treated with prescription medications that could lead to physical or psychological dependence.
  • More Information: Missouri Medical Marijuana Program

Montana

  • Possession Limit: 1 ounce
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 4 mature plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, cachexia, severe chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, and other conditions approved by the Montana Medical Marijuana Program.
  • More Information: Montana Medical Marijuana Program

Nevada

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 12 plants under certain conditions
  • Qualifying Conditions: AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, PTSD, cachexia, persistent muscle spasms, seizures, severe nausea, severe pain, and additional conditions approved by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health.
  • More Information: Nevada Medical Marijuana Program

New Hampshire

  • Possession Limit: 2 ounces every 10 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 3 mature plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, cancer, chronic pancreatitis, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, lupus, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury or disease, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions as approved.
  • More Information: New Hampshire Therapeutic Cannabis Program

New Jersey

  • Possession Limit: 3 ounces every 30 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anxiety, certain types of chronic pain, dysmenorrhea, glaucoma, inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn’s disease, intractable skeletal spasticity, migraine, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, opioid use disorder, PTSD, seizures including epilepsy, severe or persistent muscle spasms.
  • More Information: New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program

New Mexico

  • Possession Limit: 8 ounces over 90 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 16 plants with only 4 mature
  • Qualifying Conditions: ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Huntington’s disease, hospice care, inflammatory autoimmune-mediated arthritis, multiple sclerosis, neuropathy, opioid use disorder, PTSD, severe chronic pain, severe anorexia/cachexia, spasmodic torticollis, spinal cord damage, ulcerative colitis.
  • More Information: New Mexico Department of Health Medical Cannabis Program

New York

  • Possession Limit: 60-day supply non-smokable
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, under specific conditions
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, HIV infection or AIDS, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury with spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy, Huntington’s disease, PTSD, chronic pain, and any condition for which an opioid could be prescribed.
  • More Information: New York State Medical Marijuana Program

North Dakota

  • Possession Limit: 3 ounces every 14 days
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, glaucoma, epilepsy, end-stage renal failure, Alzheimer’s disease, Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis or chronic back pain including neuropathy or damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, PTSD.
  • More Information: North Dakota Medical Marijuana

Ohio

  • Possession Limit: 90-day supply, amounts vary
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: AIDS, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, ulcerative colitis.
  • More Information: Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program

Oklahoma

  • Possession Limit: 3 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 12 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: No specific qualifying conditions. Physicians may recommend marijuana for any condition they deem appropriate.
  • More Information: Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority

Oregon

  • Possession Limit: 24 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 6 mature plants, 18 immature
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, a degenerative or pervasive neurological condition, HIV/AIDS, PTSD, or any other medical condition or treatment for a medical condition that produces cachexia, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe or persistent muscle spasms.
  • More Information: Oregon Health Authority Medical Marijuana Program

Pennsylvania

  • Possession Limit: 30-day supply of non-smokable forms
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anxiety disorders, autism, cancer, Crohn’s disease, damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous systemHere is the detailed information on medical marijuana regulations for each state you listed, now including possession limits, whether dispensaries are available, home grow options, qualifying conditions for medical marijuana use, and links for further information:

Rhode Island

  • Possession Limit: 2.5 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 12 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition that produces cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe, debilitating, chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, severe and persistent muscle spasms, and PTSD.
  • More Information: Rhode Island Department of Health

South Dakota

  • Possession Limit: 3 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 3 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: 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.
  • More Information: South Dakota Department of Health

Utah

  • Possession Limit: 113 grams or a 30-day supply
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, cancer, cachexia, persistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment except for nausea related to pregnancy, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, epilepsy, debilitating seizures, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, PTSD, autism, rare conditions or diseases that affect less than 200,000 individuals in the U.S., and pain lasting longer than two weeks that is not adequately managed, despite treatment attempts using other conventional medications.
  • More Information: Utah Medical Cannabis Program

Vermont

  • Possession Limit: 2 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 2 mature plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, severe pain that has not responded to prescribed medication or surgical measures or for which other treatment options produced serious side effects, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe nausea, and seizures.
  • More Information: Vermont Department of Health

Virginia

  • Possession Limit: A 90-day supply (to be determined by regulation)
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, up to 4 plants
  • Qualifying Conditions: Any diagnosed condition or disease determined by the practitioner to benefit from such use.
  • More Information: Virginia Medical Cannabis Program

Washington

  • Possession Limit: 3 ounces
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: Yes, for medicinal purposes
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or other seizure disorders, spasticity disorders, intractable pain, glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, hepatitis C, diseases, including anorexia, which result in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms, or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments.
  • More Information: Washington State Department of Health

West Virginia

  • Possession Limit: A 30-day supply (non-smokable)
  • Dispensaries: Yes
  • Home Grow: No
  • Qualifying Conditions: Cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, epilepsy, neuropathies, Huntington’s disease, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, intractable seizures, sickle cell anemia, severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain.
  • More Information: West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis
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Anthony Martinelli

Anthony Martinelli is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Marijuana Herald, a daily marijuana news and information website that launched in 2018. You can reach Anthony at [email protected].