These American states have medical marijuana laws enacted. Modern research suggests that Cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of medical issues. These include pain relief, nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant and emerging research suggests that Marijuana's medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors, and are neuroprotective.
Alaska[]
The law took effect on March 4, 1999. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures.
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity.
- Nausea.
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than one ounce of usable Marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
Arizona[]
The law took effect on April 14, 2011. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- HIV or AIDS
- Any chronic or debilitating medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following:
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome
- Severe or chronic pain
- Severe nausea
- Seizures, including those characteristic of Epilepsy
- Severe or persistent muscle spasms, including those characteristic of Multiple Sclerosis
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Health Services. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than two and one-half ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than twelve marijuana plants in an "enclosed, locked facility."
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. State-licensed nonprofit dispensaries may produce and dispense marijuana to authorized patients on a not-for-profit basis. Qualified patients who reside within 25 miles of a state-licensed dispensary facility will not be permitted to cultivate marijuana at home.
California[]
The law took effect on November 6, 1996. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Arthritis
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Epilepsy
- HIV or AIDS
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis
( Patients diagnosed with any debilitating illness where the medical use of marijuana has been "deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician" are afforded legal protection under this act. )
Qualified patients and/or their primary caregivers may possess no more than eight ounces of dried marijuana and/or six mature (or 12 immature) marijuana plants. However, S.B. 420 allows patients to possess larger amounts of marijuana when such quantities are recommended by a physician.
Senate Bill 420 also mandates the California Department of State Health Services to establish a voluntary medicinal marijuana patient registry, and issue identification cards to qualified patients. To date, however, no such registry has been established.
Colorado[]
The law took effect on June 1, 2001. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Chronic nervous system disorders
- Epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity
- Nausea.
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Colorado Board of Health. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than two ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Patients who do not join the registry or possess greater amounts of marijuana than allowed by law may argue the "affirmative defense of medical necessity" if they are arrested on marijuana charges.
Connecticut[]
On Friday, June 1, 2012 Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill allowing the medical use of cannabis statewide. Connecticut is the 17th state to legalize medical marijuana. Under the bill, patients and their caregivers must register with the Department of Consumer Protection. In addition, a doctor must certify there is a medical need for marijuana to be dispensed, including such debilitating conditions as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy.
Finally, only a pharmacist with a special license can dispense medical marijuana, according to the new law. Further rules and restrictions are forthcoming.
Delaware[]
The law took effect on May 13, 2011. Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain (if the condition has not responded to previously prescribed medications)
- HIV/AIDS
- Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of Multiple Sclerosis.
- Severe Nausea
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Seizures
Patients may legally possess up to 6 ounces of usable marijuana, if the marijuana is obtained from a state-licensed facility. Home cultivation of marijuana is not allowed under this act.
The law establishes a mandatory, confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
On Friday, Feb. 10, 2012 Gov. Markell announced that he was suspending the program because his office received a letter from the Obama Justice Department alleging that its implementation would subject those licensed under the law, as well as public servants, to federal criminal prosecution.
In a statement issued by Gov. Markell on Friday, he claimed that the federal government left him with no other alternative but to suspend the law's implementation. "To do otherwise would put our state employees in legal jeopardy, and I will not do that," he said.
District of Columbia[]
The law took effect on July 26, 2010. Members of Congress allowed the measure to become law without federal interference.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cancer
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Conditions characterized by severe and persistent muscle spasms
- Any other condition, as determined by rulemaking, that is:
- Chronic or long-lasting;
- Debilitating or interferes with the basic functions of life
- A serious medical condition for which the use of medical marijuana is beneficial:
- That cannot be effectively treated by any ordinary medical or surgical measure;
- For which there is scientific evidence that the use of medical marijuana is likely to be significantly less addictive than the ordinary medical treatment for that condition.
Under the law, D.C. Health Department officials will oversee the creation of as many as eight facilities to dispense medical cannabis to authorized patients. Qualifying D.C. patients will be able to obtain medical cannabis at these facilities, but will not be permitted under the law to grow their own medicine.
The maximum amount of medical marijuana that any qualifying patient may possess at any moment is 2 ounces of dried medical marijuana, though this limit is subject to revision by the Mayor.
Hawaii[]
The law took effect on December 28, 2000. The law removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a signed statement from their physician affirming that he or she suffers from a debilitating condition and that the "potential benefits of medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks."
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Crohn’s disease
- Epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity
- Nausea
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Hawaii Department of Health. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess up to 3 ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than seven marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature.
The law establishes a mandatory, confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
Maine[]
The law took effect on December 22, 1999. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess an oral or written "professional opinion" from their physician that he or she "might benefit from the medical use of marijuana."
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome
- Cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Disorders characterized by muscle spasticity
- Disorders characterized by seizures
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Nail-Patella syndrome
- A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces intractable pain, which is pain that has not responded to ordinary medical or surgical measures for more than 6 months.
- Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of multiple sclerosis
- Any other medical condition or its treatment approved by the department as provided."
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than two and one half ounces of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature.
November 2009 Maine voters approved Question 5, the Maine Marijuana Medical Act. The measure amends existing state law by: establishing a confidential patient registry, expanding the list of qualifying conditions for which a physician may recommend medicinal cannabis, and by allowing for the creation of non-profit state-licensed dispensaries to assist in the distribution of medical cannabis to qualified patients.
Maryland[]
Senate Bill 308, signed into law on May 10, 2011, removes fines and criminal penalties for citizens who successfully raise an 'affirmative defense' in court establishing that they possessed limited amounts (one ounce or less) of marijuana for medical purposes. Citizens who cultivate cannabis or who possess larger amounts of marijuana may still raise an affirmative defense at trial and, if successful, will have their sentence mitigated. Higher possession and cultivation may then only be fined $100.
Massachusetts[]
The law took effect on January 1, 2013. It eliminates statewide criminal and civil penalties related to the possession and use of up to a 60-day supply of cannabis by qualified patients who possess a "valid registration card" issued by the state. ("Within 120 days of the effective date of this law, the department shall issue regulations defining the quantity of marijuana that could reasonably be presumed to be a sixty-day supply for qualifying patients.")
Patients must possess a recommendation from a physician attesting that cannabis assists with the treatment of a "debilitating medical condition." Physicians may authorize cannabis for the treatment of "cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and other conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient's physician."
The law establishes a state-run patient registry and the creation of up to 35 state-licensed, non-profit "medical marijuana treatment centers." Within the first year after the law's implementation, the state must issue regulations for the creation of such centers.
Individual patients will also be permitted to privately cultivate limited amounts of cannabis or designate a "personal caregiver" to cultivate for them if they are unable to access a state-authorized dispensary or if they can verify "financial hardship."
The medical use provisions in Massachusetts do not include reciprocity provisions protecting visitors from other medical use states.
Michigan[]
The law took effect on December 4, 2008. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physicians authorizing the medical use of marijuana.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome
- Cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Hepatitis C
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Nail Patella
- Severe and persistent muscle spasms
- Severe nausea
- Severe and chronic pain
- Seizures
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may possess no more than 12 marijuana plants kept in an enclosed, locked facility or 2.5 ounces of usable marijuana.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
Montana[]
The law took effect November 2, 2004. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess written documentation from their physicians authorizing the medical use of marijuana.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome
- Crohn's disease
- Epilepsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Severe or persistent muscle spasms
- Severe nausea
- Severe or chronic pain
- Seizures
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may possess no more than six marijuana plants or one ounce of usable marijuana.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
Patients found guilty of marijuana DUI will have their medical marijuana privileges revoked. (5 ng/ml = 5 nanograms per milliliter is cause for a DUI charge.)
Failure to notify the state of a change of address within 10 days voids your card.
You must carry your medical marijuana card with you at all times.
Nevada[]
The law took effect on October 1, 2001. The law removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who have “written documentation” from their physician that marijuana may alleviate his or her condition.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- AIDS
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Glaucoma
- Persistent muscle spasms
- Seizures
- Severe nausea
- Severe pain
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the health division of the state Department of Human Resources. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess no more than one ounce of usable marijuana, and may cultivate no more than seven marijuana plants, of which no more than three may be mature.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Patients who do not join the registry or possess greater amounts of marijuana than allowed by law may argue the “affirmative defense of medical necessity” if they are arrested on marijuana charges.
New Jersey[]
The law became effective October 1, 2010.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cancer
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- HIV/AIDS
- Inflammatory Bowel disease (including Crohn’s disease)
- Lou Gehrig's disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Seizures and/or spasticity disorders
- Any terminal illness if a doctor has determined the patient will die within a year.
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the state Department of Health. )
Patients authorized to use marijuana under this act will not be permitted to cultivate their own cannabis, and are limited to the possession of two ounces of marijuana per month. New Jersey is unique among the other medical marijuana states in that only the Garden State prohibits home cultivation of medical marijuana.
Patients will be issued ID cards in a program run by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
Due to a series of political and bureaucratic delays, no dispensaries have been allowed to open in New Jersey.
New Mexico[]
The law took effect on July 1, 2007. The law mandates the state Department of Health by October 1, 2007, to promulgate rules governing the use and distribution of medical cannabis to state-authorized patients.
Patients registered with the state Department of Health and who are diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under these rules:
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
- Severe anorexia/cachexia
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C infection currently receiving antiviral treatment
- HIV/AIDS
- Hospice patients
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Intractable nausea/vomiting
- Severe chronic pain
- Painful peripheral neuropathy
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
- Damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with intractable spasticity.
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Department of Health. )
Patients may legally possess six ounces of medical cannabis (or more if authorized by their physician) and/or 16 plants (four mature, 12 immature) under this act.
Oregon[]
The law took effect on December 3, 1998. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess a signed recommendation from their physician stating that marijuana "may mitigate" his or her debilitating symptoms.
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- agitation due to Alzheimer’s disease
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Chronic pain
- Epilepsy and other disorders characterized by seizures
- Glaucoma
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis and other disorders characterized by muscle spasticity
- Nausea
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Health Division of the Oregon Department of Human Resources. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess six mature cannabis plants, 18 immature seedlings, and 24 ounces of usable cannabis.
The law establishes a confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Patients who do not join the registry or possess greater amounts of marijuana than allowed by law may argue the "affirmative defense of medical necessity" if they are arrested on marijuana charges.
Rhode Island[]
The law took effect immediately upon passage on January 3, 2006. The law removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess "written certification" from their physician stating, "In the practitioner's professional opinion, the potential benefits of the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks for the qualifying patient."
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- agitation of Alzheimer's Disease
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Crohn's Disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- severe, debilitating, chronic pain
- severe nausea
- Seizures
- severe and persistent muscle spasms
- Multiple Sclerosis
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Rhode Island Department of Health. )
Patients (and/or their primary caregivers) may legally possess 2.5 ounces of cannabis and/or 12 plants, and their cannabis must be stored in an indoor facility.
The law establishes a mandatory, confidential state-run patient registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients. Patients who do not register with the Department of Health, but have received certification from their physician to use medicinal cannabis, may raise an affirmative defense at trial.
Vermont[]
The law took effect on July 1, 2004. The law removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients diagnosed with a "debilitating medical condition."
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia or wasting syndrome
- Cancer
- HIV or AIDS
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Severe Pain
- Severe Nausea
- Seizures
Patients (or their primary caregiver) may legally possess no more than two ounces of usable marijuana and may cultivate no more than two mature and/or seven immature plants.
The law establishes a mandatory, confidential state-run registry that issues identification cards to qualifying patients.
Washington[]
The law took effect on November 3, 1998. It removes state-level criminal penalties on the use, possession and cultivation of marijuana by patients who possess "valid documentation" from their physician affirming that he or she suffers from a debilitating condition and that the "potential benefits of the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks."
Patients diagnosed with the following illnesses are afforded legal protection under this act:
- Cachexia
- Cancer
- Crohn's disease
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- HIV or AIDS
- Intractable pain (pain unrelieved by standard treatment or medications)
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Any "diseases, including anorexia, which results in nausea, vomiting, wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasms, and/or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications."
( Other conditions are subject to approval by the Washington Board of Health. )
Patients (or their primary caregivers) may legally possess or cultivate up to 15 cannabis plants and/or possess up to 24 ounces of usable marijuana.
The law does not establish a state-run patient registry.