Unlike 2022, when several states approved recreational marijuana, 2023 was a relatively quiet year for marijuana legalization.

It was only Ohio that successfully legalized the recreational use of marijuana this year. In November, voters approved a citizen-initiated statute to allow Ohioans 21 years and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and up to 15 grams of cannabis extract. They can keep up to six cannabis plants or up to 12 if there are two adults at least 21 years old in their household.

Ohio, already one of the more than a dozen states to have legalized medical cannabis, became the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

The Kentucky General Assembly also legalized medical marijuana this year, Nexstar’s WDKY reports, but patients will have to wait until 2025 for the program to officially launch.

Other states did try to legalize marijuana in 2023.

In Oklahoma, voters rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana in March. A proposal to legalize marijuana in Indiana failed in early April.

Idaho, Nebraska, and Kansas have no public program at all, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Others, denoted in dark green on the map above, have some sort of medical cannabis program.

Thousands of supporters have signed a petition to have a proposed constitutional amendment regarding marijuana legalization added to Florida ballots in 2024. A bill that would legalize marijuana in Indiana is expected to be introduced next season, Nexstar’s WXIN reports. Republicans in Wisconsin plan to unveil a proposal soon to legalize medical marijuana in the state and could vote on it sometime in 2024.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services sent its findings on marijuana to the Drug Enforcement Administration, reportedly recommending that it be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. That classification means the substance has a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

While it sounds promising, not much changes for marijuana. It will take some time for the DEA to make any decision on reclassifying weed. And even if it is reclassified, marijuana would still be a controlled substance, subject to federal rules and regulations. 

It also would not immediately be legalized for recreational use on the federal level. Rescheduling marijuana does not decriminalize marijuana, either. Reclassification would, however, open the door to more research – because it’s easier to study Schedule III drugs than Schedule I drugs. 

In a Gallup survey published in November, a record seven in 10 respondents said they support the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. For the last three years, support has held steady at 68%.

Source: Addy Bink – thehill.com