“An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

Despite the fact that federally, marijuana in all forms is illegal in the U.S., many states have already decided the medical benefits of marijuana far outweigh any harm it may do, (if at all), or understand that cannabis is real medicine despite what the federal government says. They’ve seen the facts and have decided to defy federal law in the best interest of their citizens. Here’s where Medical Cannabis is legal right now and when they came on board:

NORML map of United States
Click on the map for Norml’s comprehensive guide to Marijuana Laws and the status of all states in America, or go to http://norml.org/states

California (1996)
Alaska, Oregon, Washington
(1998)
Maine (1999)
Hawaii, Nevada, Colorado (2000)
Montana, Vermont (2004)
Rhode Island (2006)
New Mexico (2007)
Michigan (2008)
Arizona, Washington DC, New Jersey (2010)
Delaware (2011)
Connecticut, Massachusetts (2012)
New Hampshire, Illinois, 2013
Maryland, Minnesota, New York, 2014

That is nearly 50% of our United States, as of right now , (updated Oct 2014). Also, in 2012, Colorado and Washington legalized Marijuana for recreational use. This is a huge game changer and we’re all watching these two states with much hope, interest and anticipation.

Arizona, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada and Rhode Island are currently the only states to recognize patient certification by other states for medical marijuana use, meaning, if you are a card carrying user in another state, you are safe from prosecution by these state’s law enforcement. This is commonly called reciprocity. Whether you can bring your own when visiting these states, or not, I have yet to find out and I’ll deal with that when the time comes. I can’t believe ALL the Compassionate Act states aren’t honoring reciprocity. Where’s the compassion?

Oxycodone rampant in FloridaMany other states have at least medical marijuana laws in the works, including Florida, which I deem the most important and unusual case, because Florida is where the penalties for marijuana possession are among the worst in the nation and a simple possession conviction of a very small quantity for personal consumption brings you mandatory jail time. This would make me think twice before defying the law in Florida, no matter how bad I need the medicine. I’d move first. How unusual though, that Florida makes it so easy to obtain opioids like oxycontin and oxycodone, that people from all along the eastern seaboard, as well as throughout the south and midwestern U.S., flock to the Florida state line like snow birds to buy the oxies to resell on the black market.

Not sure?

If you have never tried medical marijuana, and you would like to before you go to all the trouble of getting legal, (or setting yourself up for future legal problems if you are in an “illegal” area and haven’t got the money or moxy for a legal battle), you need to find some pot, and in this you have minimal options. You may know someone who uses it for recreation or as medicine) and would be willing to guide you in your first use. If not you can ask a trusted friend or family member to help you find someone trustworthy who they think might help. It’s not always easy to justify your medical cannabis decision to those from whom you are seeking help, so be prepare to answer lots of questions. Be sure you are armed with good, accurate knowledge as to why you believe you can benefit from this more natural medicine. But that’s why you’re here, right? There is a never ending supply of factual pro-marijuana information available all over the place, and you should check out my resources section of this blog to help you get started. I’m still learning because it fascinates me that this has all been kept a secret for so long, and exciting new research is happening every day throughout the world. The mainstream media is just starting to catch on, so don’t wait for them.

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