Marijuana Business Factbook 2019

13 © Copyright 2020, Marijuana Business Daily , a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this Factbook, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole. For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call (720) 213-5992, ext. 1. National Trends | Chapter 1 MJBIZDAILY.COM 74% States With Medical Marijuana Laws States With Recreational Marijuana Laws Key Statistics of the U.S. population now lives in a state where marijuana has been legalized 36 11 states plus Washington DC have medical marijuana laws states plus Washington DC have recreational marijuana laws Source: 2019 Marijuana Business Factbook, U.S. Census Bureau © 2019 Marijuana Business Daily, a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. CHART 1.10: Marijuana Legalization By State Marijuana Legalization By State Roughly three-quarters of the U.S. population now lives in a state that has legalized some form of marijuana use and sales, a far cry from just 10 years ago, when only a handful of states allowed medical cannabis use and none had MJ products commercially available. The entire West Coast of the United States has now legalized recreational cannabis, and with the exception of North Carolina and South Carolina, medical or recreational marijuana use has been legalized across the entire East Coast as well. In June, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana ― and the first to do so via a legislature rather than ballot initiative. The definition of medical marijuana, however, is still a matter for debate. Several states have legalized some form of possession and use of high-CBD, low-THC oils ― such as Kentucky and Wyoming ― but often in extremely limited circumstances and without establishing an in-state production or distribution model. By our definition, a state has legalized medical marijuana if: • The state allows the sale of MMJ products containing at least 3% THC by weight. • The state allows patients to purchase MMJ products from an in-state business or organization. • The state has a qualifying MMJ condition list that includes more than one condition or set of symptoms. These criteria allow places such as Iowa to be defined as an MMJ state, even though ― on paper ― the law appears to legalize only high-CBD, low-THC products.