Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, possession of any marijuana is a misdemeanor and cultivation is a felony. In addition, premises used to sell or cultivate marijuana for sale are subject to forfeiture. An important new Ninth Circuit appellate court ruling, Raich v. Ashcroft, protects patients from federal prosecution for the intrastate, noncommercial cultivation, possession and use of marijuana for personal medical purposes. Currently, laws that effectively remove state-level criminal penalties for growing and/or possessing medical marijuana are in place in Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Ten states have symbolic medical marijuana laws (laws that support medical marijuana but do not provide patients with legal protection under state law). Please click on your state below to find out the laws in your state. *All 14 states require proof of residency to be considered a qualifying patient for medical marijuana use.
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
Oregon
Rhode Island
Vermont
Washington
Alaska
California
Colorado
District of Columbia
Hawaii
Maine
Maryland
Michigan