Marijuana: all the places in the world where it's now legal

More and more countries in the world are changing their ideas about the use of marijuana or cannabis for medical or recreational use. Which countries have been most progressive in their legislation? And which ones prefer to keep the status quo?

Smoking marijuana for fun is now legal in the state of Arizona. Following a popular vote in 2020, the American state is allowing the use of this substance to those over 21 years of age. AZCentral estimates that recreational marijuana, once approved by the Department of Health Services, is available for sale in March or April 2021. Cannabis use is subject to a 16% excise tax on top of the regular sales tax.

South Dakota also legalized the recreational use of weed in the 2020 elections. The state is particularly lenient in its legislation: People who use marijuana in South Dakota face no limitation in growing it themselves, and they do not have to pay taxes when buying it.

The states of Montana and New Jersey have also allowed the recreational use of cannabis through the 2020 elections. It is limited by age (no one under 21) and self-cultivation will be regulated to a maximum per person and per household.

Alaska, California, Colorado (this image), Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia had already legalized the recreational use of cannabis before 2020. This means that in a total of fifteen states plus the District of Columbia you can legally smoke weed.

In Oregon, one of the states where recreational marijuana is legal, the nephew of Meghan Markle is running his own cannabis farm. His name is Tyler Dooley. In the past years, he developed the brand 'Markle Sparkle'. Now he is working on its follow-up, 'Archie Sparkle,' Fox reported.

The Netherlands has long appeared the frontrunner in legalizing soft drugs, but its legislation is actually not that progressive anymore. Especially compared to other countries, like the U.S. or Canada, the Dutch are lagging behind. Recreational marijuana use is not really legal there - it's merely been decriminalized, or "tolerated." In addition, smoking pot is restricted to the inside of its specialized sales points, the so-called 'coffee shops,' and cities like The Hague (on this picture) prohibit using it outside.

If you want to see a really progressive marijuana country, think of Uruguay.  It legalized the use of recreational marijuana in 2013 and its sale in pharmacies in 2017. Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana throughout its territory.

Canada was the second country in the world that legalized the recreational use of cannabis. You can buy marijuana in regulated shops from the age of 18. A very progressive country in terms of weed, indeed.

The recreational use of marijuana has been decriminalized in certain parts of Australia and legalized in others. Australia is one of the few nations to have such progressive legislation regarding cannabis.

Since 2015, the Jamaican government allows the growing of marijuana throughout the country. For Rastafari (as a religious  movement) its recreational use is legal, and for others it has been decriminalized up to certain amounts.

In the former Soviet state of Georgia, having small amounts of pot and smoking it became legal in 2018. However, it is still illegal to cultivate and sell it. So where does that legally smoked cannabis come from?

South Africa has been included in lists of countries where recreational use of marijuana is legal, but in fact it has only been partly decriminalized. The use and growing of marijuana in small quantities at home will not be punished, but other than that, buying and selling any cannabis product for recreational use is still prohibited.

Mississippi is another American state that begun legalizing marijuana use in 2020. However, this use of cannabis is only allowed for medical purposes. The state has drawn up a list of diseases for which the substance can be used. Some of them are cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy.

Israel was one of the first countries to legalize cannabis for medical use. It had been testing the effects of cannabis on soldiers with post-traumatic stress syndrome since the late 20th century. The country decriminalized recreational use in 2017, but that's not the same as 'legal.'

Cannabis was high on the agenda in New Zealand in 2020, because in November its people decided in a referendum whether or not to legalize its recreational use. With a narrow majority, the people voted NO. Therefore, marijuana can only be legally used for medical purposes in New Zealand.

In 2018, South Korea became one of the first Asian countries to legalize medical marijuana. There are many restrictions, however. Whoever needs to use it, has to request permission from the government with their medical records and a doctor's note attached. In addition, the South Korean government can punish citizens for using recreational marijuana in other countries like Canada, The Guardian reports.

In Thailand, the marijuana leaf has long been used to battle fatigue and pain, Reuters reports, and in 2017 the government decided to legalize its medical use. In Sri Lanka, the plant may only be used for Ayurveda, a local tradition of medicine, and each user needs permission from the Ministry of Health.

In Denmark, the medical use of cannabis became legal in 2018. The country (together with Germany, the UK, Italy, the Czech Republic, and more) allows the medical prescription of products such as cannabis oil. In the same year as Denmark, the Portuguese parliament approved the sale of cannabis-based drugs, preparations or substances for medical purposes on prescription. Self-cultivation remains illegal for the time being.

In Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Mexico, the therapeutic use of cannabis is allowed, though only with a medical prescription and under regulated sale. Mexico is particularly specific in its restrictions to the medical use of marijuana.

Apart from the progressive guidelines in South Africa, most countries in the continent are quite careful with the soft drug. Only in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, the medical use of marijuana is permitted. Other countries are loosening up their legislation regarding the growth of the product, however, because it is good for export.

Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, and the states where you can use recreational marijuana are open to the application of cannabis for medical purposes.

While the list of countries with legalized medical marijuana looks considerable, the road to universally legalized recreational marijuana is still very long. Only Canada, parts of the U.S., and Uruguay have really legalized it. For many others, the disadvantages of the drug's legal status are still overruling its benefits.