The past few years have been important for marijuana policy reform. In 2022, three additional states – Maryland, Missouri, and Rhode Island – took action to legalize adult-use marijuana possession and regulate the retail cannabis market. Two of these states did so via voter initiative while the other state (Rhode Island) did so legislatively.
In 2021, legislatures in five states enacted laws legalizing adult-use marijuana possession and regulating retail cannabis markets. This marks a change from past years, when similar laws were primarily enacted via citizens’ initiatives, not by legislative action.
A total of 21 states – comprising just under half of all US residents – now have laws on the books regulating adult-use marijuana consumption, production, and retail sales.
See recent legislative achievements by visiting the following links. NORML’s Legislative Reports break down the state legislative victories by category.