8.4 Examples of Legalization

A seal with a drawing of a maple leaf, lines, and holographic elements displayed on all cannabis products sold in Ontario, Canada. It shows that duty has been paid, and has an unique code in the typeface similar to a bank transit numbers on a cheque.
The Ontario, Canada seal for cannabis products.
  • In 1996, California became the first US state to legalize medical cannabis (Reuters, 2022). By April 24, 2023, 38 states, three territories and the District of Columbia had followed suit (NCSL, June 22, 2023).
  • In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first two US states to legalize recreational cannabis (Coffman & Neroulias, 2012; Hansen et al., 2022). This number has steadily increased and as of November 8, 2023, 24 states, two territories and the District of Columbia regulate the production, sale, and recreational use of cannabis products (NCSL, June 22, 2023).
  • In 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to fully legalize both cannabis possession and a cannabis supply chain (Queirolo, 2020). To access or grow cannabis, Uruguayans must register with the government. Cannabis supply can either come from licensed pharmacies or by growing it, individually or as part of a cannabis grower’s club (Hall, 2020).
  • In October 2018, Canada became the second nation in the world to legalize recreational cannabis via the Cannabis Act. The Act was amended one year later to allow for the production, sale and use of cannabis edibles (Canada, 2021; Canada, 2019). The Canadian policy is framed as a public-health oriented approach (i.e., advertising bans, plain packaging requirements, taxes tied to THC content) (Hall, 2020).
  • In November 2020, Oregon passed Measure 109: Psilocybin Program Initiative. This initiative legalizes psilocybin for use in supervised and licensed therapy sessions to qualifying individuals over 21 (Roberts, 2020).
Display cases and touch screens in a One Plant cannabis dispensary. On the glass case is a sign that says, "Enter only if you are 19 years or older."The displays show different forms of cannabis, including flower, edibles, vape, and preroll.
One Plant Cannabis Dispensary in Windsor, ON Canada.

Click the links below to learn more about the Cannabis Act (2018) and cannabis legalization in Canada:  

Cannabis Legalization and Regulation 

Final Regulations: Edible Cannabis, Cannabis Extracts, Cannabis Topicals

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Psychoactive Substances & Society (2nd Edition)* Copyright © 2024 by Jacqueline Lewis & Jillian Holland-Penney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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