USING CANNABIS
ACROSS THE GLOBE
Visiting another country or the US? Confused by the laws there? While it is legal to consume any drug in Oregon in the United States, the Philippines has passed a law permitting anyone to murder a drug dealer with no punishment. This infographic will take you around Europe, the Americas and Australasia and show you what is legal to do and where. We will also take a look at certain countries with the craziest anti-drugs laws in the world, where it could be suicidal to have any weed on you.
United States
Nine states and Washington DC have either decriminalized or legalized all use of marijuana. On top of this, 29 states now permit medical use of cannabis. The industry now makes $10 billion annually in sales, so should there be a crackdown from the Federal government the genie is out of the bottle. In addition a recent Gallup poll suggests that 64%of Americans support legalization in some form.
It is important to note though that marijuana is a Schedule 1 narcotic under Federal Law so you could still in theory be arrested by Federal agents for possession. Even in states where recreational use is permitted, some employers may drug test you and fire you for use. National politics are on a different planet than state laws so there may be a crackdown by the Trump administration soon. You should always be careful about carrying anything including pipes with any residue across state lines (even between states that permit use) or flying while in possession as you could be arrested by the FBI, DEA or ATF.
New USA states
National: Farm Bill signed into law, permitting commercial grow of low THC hemp for products including fibres, oils and food products. This reverses the complete ban on cannabis of all varieties in place since the 1940s.
Recreational use permitted
Maine
Massachusetts
Colorado
Nevada
California
Oregon
Washington
Alaska
DC
Decriminalisation
Mississippi
Missouri
North Carolina
Marijuana Legalization Status
Medical use permitted
New Hampshire
Vermont
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Rhode Island
Connecticut
Maryland
Ohio
Michigan
Illinois
Arkansas
Florida
Minnesota
North Dakota
Montana
New Mexico
Arizona
Delaware
Hawaii
Puerto Rico
Louisiana
As of summer 2018 provinces will be allowed to regulate marijuana use, growth and sale for recreational purposes. There is no fixed date set for the law to be passed in the national legislature due to strong opposition from the Conservative Party. It is likely to be legalized before the summer recess in 2018. Different provinces will handle legalization in different ways. Though the industry is set to explode across the country, there will be different ways of handling it according to where you are in Canada.
Medical only
Possession maximum: 150 grams
Possession type: Any
Personal grows permitted – how much: Depends on medical prescription. If 2g of cannabis prescribed per day you can have 10 indoor plants licensed by Canadian government. Calculator on Canadian government website here
Where cannabis can be bought: Department of Health registered dispensaries or home grows.
Other laws on consumption: While national cannabis laws are being liberalized, it continues to be illegal except for medical use. National medical program can be found here
Hover on each province to see how cannabis will be regulated in that province
Europe has a variety of drugs laws where the police may turn a blind eye to small scale use in different countries. We present the highlights here, though these are not the only countries where the police may turn a blind eye due to other priorities.