Under federal law, it is illegal to possess, use, buy, sell, or cultivate marijuana, since it is classified as a Schedule I drug, claiming it has a high potential for abuse and has no acceptable clinical use.
However, the federal government has stated that if a state decriminalizes cannabis for recreational or medical use, it can do so, by putting up a regulation system for the same.
It was in the 1990s that California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, sparking a trend that spread across most other US states.
Since then, the legalization process has been moving at a rapid speed in recent years as states and territories across the nation have adopted regulations to allow for the medical or recreational use of cannabis. Today, medical marijuana has become legal in the majority of American states.
More than 20 states have approved medical marijuana programs and some doctors consider it a promising alternative to addictive prescription pills for treating chronic pain and other terminal illnesses. We’ve come a long way since marijuana was first decriminalized in Oregon in 1973, and here’s an interactive infographic showing legalization levels in America:
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