Dear Morgan: Which Countries and States Have Legalized Cannabis?

Dear Morgan, I travel a ton for my job, both around the US and internationally, so whenever I’m in a new location, I always have to look up if it has legal cannabis or not. Do you have a guide showing what states and countries I can buy recreational cannabis in? 

Hi there,

Well first of all, what a cool job! But I get it. The legality of cannabis is ever-changing, and there aren’t a ton of resources that cover all of the United States and the rest of the world. Wikipedia has a pretty up-to-date list, but it’s tough to parse through. So I went ahead a made what I hope is an easy-to-read list covering cannabis’s legal status in every state and country. 

*If a country isn’t on the list, cannabis is illegal there.

States where recreational and medical cannabis are legal

Please click on each state for more information on cannabis consumer laws in that state.

States where only medical cannabis is legal

Please click on each state for more information on medical cannabis consumer laws in that state.

States where recreational and medical cannabis are illegal

  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • Idaho
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Nebraska
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming

Countries where cannabis is legal or decriminalized

*decriminalized means you can’t sell or distribute cannabis

  • Argentina – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Australia – medical is legal, recreational is legal in the Australian Capital Territory, recreational is decriminalized everywhere else
  • Austria – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Belgium – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Belize – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Bermuda – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Bolivia – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Brazil – medical is legal with strict conditions, recreational is illegal
  • Canada – medical is legal, recreational is legal
  • Chile – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Colombia – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Costa Rica – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Cyprus – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Ecuador – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Estonia – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Finland – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Georgia – medical is legal, but no distribution system exists, recreational is legal for possession and consumption but not sale
  • Greece – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Ireland – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Israel – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Italy – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Jamaica – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Lithuania – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Luxembourg – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Malta – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Mexico – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Moldova – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Netherlands – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • New Zealand – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • North Macedonia – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Norway – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Paraguay – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Portugal – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • San Marino – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Slovenia – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • South Africa – medical is legal, but no distribution system exists, recreational is legal for possession and consumption but not sale
  • Spain – all cannabis is decriminalized
  • Sri Lanka – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Switzerland – medical is legal, recreational is decriminalized
  • Thailand – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • United Kingdom – medical is legal but with strict conditions, recreational is decriminalized
  • Uruguay – medical is legal, recreational is legal but foreigners are not allowed to purchase it
  • Vanuatu – medical is legal, recreational is illegal
  • Zimbabwe – medical is legal, recreational is illegal