In red states as well as blue states, the population has legalized stoned states.
A little more than a decade ago, recreational pot was illegal in all 50 states. But Colorado and Washington lifted their prohibitions in 2012, and, as of this writing, a total of 24 states, three territories, and Washington, D.C., have followed. (Marijuana is permitted for medical use in even more states—a total of 38 to be precise.)
Here's the full list of U.S. states and territories where recreational cannabis is currently legal:
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Guam
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
For travelers from other places, buying legal weed from a dispensary is pretty straightforward. All businesses that sell marijuana must be licensed by the state to do so. Laws governing how much pot you may legally possess and where you may partake (usually not in public) vary by location. Consult the state's official government website for details.
Note that marijuana remains illegal on the federal level in the United States. That means travelers aren't supposed to carry the stuff across state lines on an airplane, for instance. The Transportation Security Administration warns that if airport screeners encounter what "appears to be marijuana or a cannabis infused product, we’re required by federal law to notify law enforcement."
Then again, agency officials also say they don't go out of their way to look for weed in passenger baggage, so enforcement could be iffy. (Penalties for taking cannabis across international borders are much more severe.)
If you've never combined travel and THC before, check out our step-by-step guides for out-of-towners looking to buy pot in Colorado and California, two places where tourism infrastructure and cannabis entrepreneurship are both well established.
