Marijuana: Which States are Legal?

As of November 2022, there are 39 states with legal, or medical, marijuana. That number continues to grow as more people are becoming aware to the benefits, and safe use, of cannabis.

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of ailments, and to also make textiles, housing, and food for livestock.

Cannabis is a schedule I drug, meaning that it is considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. However, with the growing legalization of cannabis, this classification may soon change. Cannabis was first scheduled as a schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and due to that scheduling research has been limited. However, now more countries, and private organizations, are researching and testing cannabis, and the results are showing the opposite of the long standing scheduling; Cannabis does have accepted medical use.

Should Cannabis be Illegal

The medical benefits of cannabis are vast. Cannabis has been shown to help with a variety of conditions, both chronic and acute. Some conditions that cannabis has been shown to help with are: chronic pain, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.

One of the biggest benefits of cannabis is its ability to help with chronic pain. Cannabis has been shown to be an effective treatment for chronic pain, both opioid-dependent and opioid-independent. It has also been shown to be more effective than opioids at treating chronic pain.

Cannabis has also been shown to be an effective treatment for anxiety and depression. For anxiety, cannabis can help reduce the amount of anxiety a person feels and can help improve sleep quality. For depression, cannabis can help increase appetite and pleasure, as well as decrease insomnia and irritability.

Cannabis has also been shown to be an effective treatment for PTSD. Cannabis can help reduce flashbacks and nightmares, as well as increase appetite and pleasure.

Lastly, cannabis has been shown to be an effective treatment for Crohn’s disease. Cannabis can help reduce inflammation in the gut, as well as increase appetite.

The Future of Marijuana

With this information becoming available, more American citizens are supportive of cannabis, and cannabis law reform.

A poll by Quinnipiac University showed that 60% of Americans are in favor of legalizing marijuana.

This number is up from 51% in 2017 and 58% in 2018. This increase in support is likely due to the growing evidence of the medical benefits of cannabis.

With this progression of research, and support, maybe now we can stop arresting people, and ruining lives and families, over this medicinal plant that nature has provided for us. It is so sad to see so many benefiting financially from cannabis, while others are still sitting in jail cells for doing the same exact thing in a State next door. Prohibition was built off of lies, greed, and miss-leading the American people.

Until the elected officials can stop playing games with peoples lives, and our health,

here is a current list of all States, and where they stand with cannabis.