States where 2021 bills were proposed to legalize marijuana for adults: 29, including two that are now law

• Connecticut — S.B. 888 is Gov. Lamont’s bill to legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. It was amended to improve equity provisions and advanced out of the Judiciary Committee on April 6 in a 22-16 vote. It is headed to the Senate floor, but it could be referred to another committee. H.B. 5853 is a shorter bill focused on equity and labor peace in legalization.
• Delaware — HB 150 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. On March 24, the House Health and Human Development Committee approved HB 150 in a 10-5 vote. It is now in the House Appropriations Committee. 
• Florida — H 291, H 343, H 1361, H 1597, S 664, and S 710 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults.
• Georgia — SB 263 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults; HR 281 and SR 165 would have referred a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters. None advanced before the crossover deadline.
• Hawaii — SB 767, HB 1202, HB 238, SB 1376, SB 704, and HB 7 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. The Senate approved SB 767 in a 20-5 vote on March 9, but included an effective date more than 100 years in the future. However, the chair of the House Health, Human Services, & Homelessness Committee failed to grant the bill a hearing before a legislative deadline, thus killing it for the year. The bills carry over to 2022.
• Indiana — HB 1154 and SB 87 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults; SB 223 would have legalized possession only; and HB 1117 would have removed penalties for possession or cultivation of up to two ounces of marijuana. None advanced before the crossover deadline.
• Iowa — SF 83 would legalize adults' possession of up to an ounce; HF 751 would legalize and regulate cannabis and expunge convictions.
• Kansas — HB 2430 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults. It did not advance before a crossover deadline, but it carries over to 2022.
• Kentucky — HB467 and HB461 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults. The legislature adjourned without acting on the bills.
• Louisiana — HB 637, a pre-filed bill, would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; HB 264 would refer a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters, if it is approved by legislators.
• Maryland — HB 32 and SB 708 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults. HB 32 received a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on February 16, and SB 708 received a hearing in Senate Finance on March 4, but neither advanced before a legislative deadline.
• Minnesota — SF 757, HF 151, and HF 600 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. HF 600 has passed out of four committees as of April 9 — Finance and Policy; Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs; Workforce and Business Development; and Agriculture Finance and Policy.
• Mississippi — SB 2768 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults; SB 2164 would have legalized cannabis; and SB 2585 would have legalized possession of up to 2.5 ounces. The legislature adjourned without acting on the bills.
• Missouri — HB 325 and HB 263 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; HJR 30 would refer a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters.
• Nebraska — LB5 46 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; LR2CA, if approved by the legislature, would refer a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters.
• New Hampshire — HB 237 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; HB 629 would legalize personal possession and cultivation of cannabis. On January 27, 2021, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee recommended retaining both bills, which would kill them for the year.
• New Jersey — A. 21, S. 21, and A. 1897 implement legalization (which more than two-thirds of voters approved in November 2020). The bills were signed by Gov. Murphy on February 22, 2021, along with a companion bill to set penalties for minors in possession of cannabis.  
• New Mexico — HB 2 (special session), HB 12, HB 17, SB 13, SB 288, and SB 363 — On March 31, the Senate and the House both approved HB 2 (22-15 and 38-32), which legalizes and regulates marijuana for adults 21 and older. It now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for her signature. 
• New York — S.854, A.1248 — S.854-A legalizes adult-use cannabis in New York and will set up a system for regulated sales. Gov. Cuomo signed it into law on March 31, 2021. The Assembly passed S.854-A in a 94-56 vote on March 30, and the Senate approved it the same day in a 40-23 vote.
• North Dakota — HB 1420 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults; HCR 3031, if approved by the legislature, would refer a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters. The House of Representatives approved HB 1420 in a 56-38 vote on February 23, but the Senate voted the bill down, 10-37, on March 25.
• Oklahoma — HB 1961, if approved by the legislature, would have referred a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters. It did not advance before crossover.
• Ohio — HB 210 would legalize personal possession of marijuana and cultivation of up to 12 plants.
• Rhode Island — S0568 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults.
• South Carolina — S 335 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; also, S 268 would create an advisory referendum on legalization in 2022. It did not advance before crossover, but the legislative session carries over to 2022.
• Tennessee — HB 413 and SB 1439 would remove all penalties for possession of up to an ounce of cannabis. They would not legalize sales or manufacture.
• Texas — HB 447, SB 140, and SB 269 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; SJR 16 and HJR 13, if approved by the legislature, would refer a constitutional amendment on legalizing cannabis to voters.
• Virginia — SB 1406, HB 2312, SB 1243, HB 1815, and HB 269 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults; SB 1406 and HB 2312 passed both chambers in their final form on February 27. Gov. Northam has formally requested amendments — including moving up legal possession and cultivation to July 1, 2021 instead of 2024. The legislature accepted them on April 7, and the bill is now law.
• West Virginia — HB 2291 and HB 2912 would legalize and regulate cannabis for adults. They did not advance before a crossover deadline, but they carry over to 2022.
• Wisconsin — AB68 and SB111 are budget bills that include the governor’s legalization proposals.
• Wyoming — HB 209 would have legalized and regulated cannabis for adults. It advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee in a 6-3 vote, but did not get a House floor vote before a deadline.

In addition, in Pennsylvania, a bipartisan legalization bill was announced but has not yet been introduced.

Seventeen states have already passed laws to legalize and regulate cannabis (two of which did so this year): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. All but four — Illinois, New York, Vermont, and Virginia — were by ballot initiative.

States with decriminalization bills: 10

• Alabama — SB 149 reduces the penalty for cannabis possession to a fine; for up to two ounces, the penalty would be a civil fine of up to $250; it advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3.
• Arkansas — SB 499 would reduce the penalty for up to an ounce to a $200 fine.
• Florida — H 1215 would impose a civil fine of $100 or 10 hours of community service, plus court costs, for possession of up to 20 grams.
• Indiana — HB 1028 would have made up to 30 grams a Class D infraction. It did not advance before a crossover deadline.
• Iowa — HF 648 would remove jail time for possession, but would impose a misdemeanor conviction and a hefty fine of between $105 and $855; SB 407 would reduce various penalties involving cannabis, including reducing the penalty for adults 21 and older possessing up to a half ounce of cannabis to a $100 civil fine.
• Pennsylvania — SB 107 would reclassify possession of a small amount of marijuana from a misdemeanor to a summary offense carrying a $25 fine. Public use would be a $100 fine.
• South Carolina — H 3228 (civil citation for up to 28 grams) and H 3571 (civil citation for up to 28 grams, penalty decrease for other drug offenses). The bills did not advance before a crossover deadline, but they carry over to 2022.
• Texas — HB 169 and HB 99 (make possession of up to two ounces a fine-only misdemeanor not subject to arrest); HB 585 and HB 616 (make possession of up to two ounces a fine-only misdemeanor not subject to arrest, unless it's a fourth or subsequent offense in 24 months); HB 441 and HB 498 (make possession of up to an ounce a fine-only misdemeanor). The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on HB 99 and HB 441 on April 7.
• West Virginia — SB 26 does not yet have text, but its summary says, "limiting penalty for possession of marijuana to no more than $1,000 without confinement." It did not advance before a crossover deadline, but it carries over to 2022. 
• Wisconsin — AB 130 and SB 164 would reduce the penalty for up to 10 grams of cannabis to a fine of up to $100.

Thirty-one states and Washington, D.C. have decriminalized or legalized marijuana possession.

States with bills to create comprehensive medical cannabis programs: 13

• Alabama — SB 46; the Senate approved the bill on February 24 in a 21-8 vote; the House Judiciary Committee amended and advanced the bill on April 7. It is now pending in the House Health Committee. 
• Georgia — HB 738, SB 264; the legislature adjourned without action on either bill. 
• Idaho — H 108
• Indiana — HB 1026, HB 1214, HB 1547, and SB 321; the bills did not advance before crossover.
• Kansas — SB 92, HB 2184, and SB 287; on March 29, the House Federal and State Affairs Committee advanced HB 2184 in a 13-8 vote.
• Kentucky — HB 136 and SB 92 did not advance. The legislature adjourned without the bills even being assigned to committee. 
• Nebraska — LB 474; the Judiciary Committee advanced the bill in a 5-2 vote on March 30, sending it to the floor of the unicameral legislature.
• North Carolina — S 669, S 711
• South Carolina — S. 150, H. 3361; on March 18, the Senate Medical Affairs Committee advanced S. 150 to the floor in a 9-5 vote. Sen. Hembree objected to the bill on the floor, meaning a “special order” vote would be required for it to pass. The crossover deadline has passed, making it more difficult to pass into law in 2021. It will carry over to 2022.
• Tennessee — SB 25, HB 601, HB 621, HB 666, SB 25, and SB 854; on March 4, the Senate Government Operations Committee advanced SB 854 in a 6-2 vote. On March 23, SB 854 was defeated in committee.
• Texas — HB 43, HB 809, HB 94, SB 250, SB 90; also HJR 11 and HJR 28, if enacted by the legislature, would refer constitutional amendments on medical cannabis to voters.
• Wisconsin — AB 68 and SB 111 are the governor's budget bills, which propose a medical cannabis program.
• Wyoming — HB 209 would have legalized and regulated cannabis both for adults and for medical use. It advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee in a 6-3 vote, but did not get a House floor vote before a deadline.

Thirty-six states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have effective medical marijuana laws. Three additional states — Georgia, Iowa, and Texas — have more limited laws that allow regulated access to low-THC medical cannabis preparations.

If you live in a state that still prohibits marijuana and no lawmakers have taken the lead to change that, send your state legislators a note to ask them to stand up for humane and sensible marijuana policies. Take a few moments to email them in support of medical marijuana, decriminalization, or legalizing and regulating marijuana.