Which States Have Legalized Weed? You Can Celebrate 4/20 In These 14 States

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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April 20, known as "420," has been associated with marijuana from back in the 1970s after a group of high school teenagers in San Rafael, California began regularly meeting at 4:20 p.m. in search for a cannabis plant hidden in the Point Reyes Forest.

Cannabis lovers can celebrate 4/20 in 14 states where the recreational use of marijuana is currently legal for adults. A bill for the legalization of recreational weed use in New Mexico was signed earlier this month but the law doesn't go into effect until June 29.

While the use of cannabis has not been legalized by federal law in the U.S., at least 34 states have legalized marijuana either for recreational use or medical purposes, such as in Mississippi. The state voted in favor of the medical legalization of cannabis during the 2020 election.

New Mexico became the latest state to officially legalize cannabis, as New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the legislation on April 12. New Mexico lawmakers approved the Cannabis Regulation Act on March 31, which legalizes the possession and use of marijuana for state residents aged 21 and older.

The bill cleared the state's House 41-28, while the New Mexico Senate voted 22-15 in favor of its approval. Grisham said in a statement at the time: "This is a significant victory for New Mexico. Workers will benefit from the opportunity to build careers in this new economy."

On March 31, New York also legalized cannabis for recreational adult use. Signing the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at the time: "This is a historic day in New York—one that rights the wrongs of the past by putting an end to harsh prison sentences, embraces an industry that will grow the Empire State's economy, and prioritizes marginalized communities so those that have suffered the most will be the first to reap the benefits."

According to a Gallup poll published in November 2020, 68 percent of Americans believe marijuana should be legal. The figure marked the highest percentage ever recorded in a national Gallup poll, with nearly 7 in 10 Americans supporting the legalization of cannabis.

States where weed is currently legal for recreational use

  • Alaska
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Illinois
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Vermont
  • Washington

In some of the states, cannabis use is only legal for medicinal purposes or limited to cannabidiol (CBD) oils, such as in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. The recreational use of marijuana in these three states remains illegal.

States where weed remains illegal

  • Alabama
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Nebraska
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Wyoming
jar of weed Denver April 20, 2018
A member of the International Church of Cannabis holds up a jar filled with marijuana during the church's 4/20 celebration on April 20, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images
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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean

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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more