State by State Legality of Marijuana

In 2018, 66% of Americans supported marijuana legalization. Even further, ¼ of the American population lives in a state with legal, recreational marijuana. Saying this, cannabis laws are constantly in a state of change and can become quickly overwhelming. There are cities making law amendments to decriminalize marijuana in fully illegal states. While this doesn’t legalize marijuana, possession is, in fact, treated like a minor traffic violation rather than a criminal offense. 

Continuing, marijuana is has been completely legalized in the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, D.C., Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Similarly, marijuana is decriminalized and even sold medicinally in these states: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Data, Ohio, and Road Island.

Saying this, each state has its own regulations regarding the limitations of pre-employment drug testing. Although employers must follow these stipulations, employees should be aware of the lengths they could be subjected to. In 2018, some illegal states had more marijuana users failing pre-employment drug tests which could indicate a higher number of users. Continue reading the infographic below for a specific list of most lenient and strict states for marijuana use, as well as the future of marijuana and work.