The legalization of cannabis in the United States is developing at an exponential rate, with almost all states and territories having legalized some form of medical cannabis.
Illegal
Cannabis is federally illegal in the United States.
Which US states have legalized cannabis?Some 30 US states have now legalized recreational use as well as medical use, and numerous citizen and legislative initiatives are underway across the country.
This creates a industry extremely lucrative, with sales estimated to reach $50 billion in the United States by 2025, making it an even bigger market. more successful than the beer business.
Yet the United States has been a pioneer in the fight against cannabis, and drugs in general, with the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 650,000 people arrested every year. for simple cannabis use, which federal law still prohibits and classifies alongside heroin as having no therapeutic value. This prohibition seems to be coming to an end, driven by a veritable «Green gold rush» and a desire to repair the damage caused by the war on drugs and addicts.
With just a few months to go before a possible ban on many hemp-derived cannabinoid products—which we’ve already mentioned here and there—two U.S. lawmakers are proposing...
On August 6, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law expanding the opportunities available to cannabis microbusinesses at Cannabis Showcase Events, which are...
Contrary to expectations, the launch of the legal recreational cannabis market in California has not led to a sustained increase in consumption. According to a new...
As regular Newsweed users will have noticed, we've been on hiatus for the past few weeks. But since there's no news to wait for us, here's a recap...
The establishment of a regulated recreational cannabis market in Pennsylvania has once again been put on hold after lawmakers approved...
A group of Democratic senators has reintroduced the «Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act» (CAOA), a wide-ranging bill that would end...
San Francisco is adopting the Amsterdam-style cannabis café model.
Massachusetts voters will decide this coming November whether to partially roll back the legalization of cannabis in the state, as a repeal initiative has gathered enough...
For the first time, the world's largest sporting event is taking place in countries where the cannabis market is regulated.
While U.S. federal authorities have reclassified some forms of cannabis as a Schedule III controlled substance, recognizing its medical use and, to a lesser extent...
More than seven years after cannabis was legalized for adult use, Guam has officially issued its first cannabis operating license. The license was...
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearings on the federal reclassification of cannabis officially began on June 29. These hearings, which will continue...
Glass House, one of the largest cannabis producers in the United States, will list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on June 30. The California-based company...
The U.S. legal cannabis industry is showing clear signs of maturing and facing challenges as employment and revenue decline for the first...
Nebraska authorities have just authorized the first medical cannabis production facility to begin growing plants. At a meeting of the Commission...
As South Carolina prepares to elect its next governor, the debate over medical cannabis in the state is once again coming to the forefront...
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that regular cannabis use, in and of itself, does not automatically justify the loss of a person’s right to...
Just a few weeks ago, the future of cannabis in Virginia seemed to be at a standstill. In May 2026, Governor Abigail Spanberger had vetoed two...
Los Angeles residents have approved a measure to tax illegal cannabis dispensaries, in a new attempt—which seems strange from our perspective—...
The U.S. cannabis industry will reach a symbolic milestone this week, as Trulieve prepares to become the first U.S. cannabis operator to...
