Report State Medical Cannabis Laws

Medical-Use Update

Thirty-nine states, three territories and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of cannabis products as of Feb. 1, 2025. See Table 1 below for additional information.  

Non-Medical/Adult-Use Update

Twenty-four states, three territories and the District of Columbia allow or regulate cannabis for non-medical adult (recreational) use as of the same date. 

Low-THC Update

Nine states allow the use of "low THC, high cannabidiol" products for medical reasons in limited situations or as a legal defense. (See Table 2 below for more information). Low-THC programs are not counted as comprehensive medical cannabis programs. NCSL uses criteria similar to other organizations tracking this issue to determine if a program is "comprehensive":  

1. Protection from criminal penalties for using cannabis for a medical purpose. 
2. Access to cannabis through home cultivation, dispensaries or some other system that is likely to be implemented. 
3. It allows a variety of strains or products, including those with more than "low THC." 
4. It allows either smoking or vaporization of some kind of cannabis products, plant material or extract.  
5. Is not a limited trial program.

Notes: The District of Columbia allows limited adult possession and growing, no regulated production or sales.

Medical Uses of Cannabis

In response to California's Prop 215, the Institute of Medicine issued a report  in 1999 that examined potential therapeutic uses for cannabis. The report found that: "Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. Smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances. The psychological effects of cannabinoids, such as anxiety reduction, sedation and euphoria can influence their potential therapeutic value. Those effects are potentially undesirable for certain patients and situations and beneficial for others. In addition, psychological effects can complicate the interpretation of other aspects of the drug's effect."  

Further studies have found cannabis is effective in relieving some of the symptoms of HIV/AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis. 

In early 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report based on the review of over 10,000 scientific abstracts from cannabis health research. They also made 100 conclusions related to health and suggest ways to improve cannabis research. 

The National Academies released a second report, Cannabis Policy Impacts Public Health and Health Equity, in 2024, following a review of regulatory frameworks for the cannabis industry. The report suggests ways to “minimize public health harms through a stronger federal leadership and robust research agenda.” 

States with medical cannabis laws generally have some form of patient registry, which may provide some protection against arrest for possession up to a certain amount of products for personal medicinal use.  

Some of the most common policy questions regarding medical cannabis include how to regulate its recommendation, dispensing and registration of approved patients. Some small cannabis growers or are often called "caregivers" and may grow a certain number of plants per patient. This issue may also be regulated on a local level, in addition to any state regulation.

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