At a glance
At the federal level, cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, where Schedule I substances are considered to have a high potential for dependency and no accepted medical use, making distribution of cannabis a federal offense.
State regulated cannabis programs
Medical-Use
As of February 2024, 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 territories (Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) allow for the use of cannabis for medical purposes. 38 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 territories allow for the use of cannabis for medical purposes through comprehensive programs. 14 states and 2 territories have a comprehensive medical-only program. 9 states have medical programs that only allow for the use of CBD/low-THC products for qualifying medical condition(s) as defined by the state. Comprehensive medical programs, in this context, refer to programs that allow for the use of cannabis products beyond CBD/low THC for medical purposes as defined by the state or territory.
Note: The Northern Marianas territory allows for legal cannabis use, but they do not specifically have a medical program. Therefore, they are not included here as a medical-use programs.
Non-Medical/Adult-Use
As of February 2024, 24 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 territories (Guam and North Mariana Islands) allow for the use of cannabis for non-medical adult purposes.
No Public Cannabis Access
As of February 2024, 3 states (ID, KS, NE) and 1 territory (American Samoa) do not have a legal cannabis program.