Legal Marijuana and What You Should Know

Recreational marijuana is legal in some states. It is the kind of weed you smoke without getting a from a doctor. In the past twenty years, we wouldn't be talking about legal marijuana. But now, state laws have afforded many recreational and medical marijuana users the chance to get their hands on weed.  Since the last election in 2016, law makers in various states have made major progress as it relates to legal marijuana for recreational users.

The Sales of Legal Marijuana

In 2016, sales of legal marijuana increased to $6.6 billion. This includes medical marijuana at $4.7 billion and recreational cannabis sales at $1.9 billion. According to expert analysts, the cannabis industry in its entirety is projected to go above $24 billion in sales by 2025. With all of this statistics, there are certain rules that people have to follow and that includes where to buy weed and who can actually smoke pot. Let's look at some of the things you need to know about legal marijuana.

Age Requirement

Age is one of the main prerequisites to legal marijuana. Most states require that the recipient be 21 years of age or older in order to purchase recreational cannabis. Some of the states that are strict with this requirement are Washington, Colorado, Alaska, and Oregon.

Marijuana Dispensaries

Another legal marijuana requirement is possession. Once you have reached the age of 21, you can smoke recreational pot where it is legal in states such as California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada as well as Washington D.C.; just to name a few. One good thing to know is that in some of these states, though recreational weed is legal, marijuana dispensaries are not yet established. Check your local state to make sure you are following the laws there.

Medical Marijuana

Twenty nine states have legalized medical marijuana. On April 29, West Virginia joined the states that have initiated legal marijuana laws. Even Guam and Puerto Rico have jumped on board. Medical marijuana does have its own restrictions; some flawed and some necessary. You cannot go to a medical marijuana dispensary to buy weed unless you receive a prescription from an approved physician. This is usually the same across the board for all states.

Smoking Pot

Be aware that a boss can fire an employee for smoking pot. In fact, some companies do random drug tests to make sure that employees are not smoking pot.  So please exercise caution when you think of consuming recreational marijuana in the legal sense.

The Government

Did you know that to government in Washington owns and operates a marijuana store in the city of North Bonneville. It was opened in 2015 and named the Cannabis Corner?  It was the first pot shop owned by the local municipality. Profits from this pot shop goes to specific projects in the city such as local playground upgrades.

The Feds

For the federal government, legal marijuana is nonsense. The feds still consider pot to be a dangerous drug and illegal. For that reason, banks are skeptical and reluctant in offering loans to medical marijuana dispensary owners. This has allowed business owners to see investor funds instead. With an approved legal marijuana license, some banks may buckle and loan you money.

Be mindful that you are not allowed to transport weed across state lines. This is true if states with legal marijuana approval share the same border such as Oregon and Washington. You could get in trouble with the law if you did that. Learn more about legal marijuana at the Cannabis Training University's cannabis college courses.