Note: The laws and penalties in the U.S. (state by state) are in sharp contrast to the entire country legalization approach—for instance, in Canada you can buy it at retail shops (seeds and grow supplies as well) anywhere and grow it at home. Wow, what a concept!

As of February 2023, 24 states plus the District of Columbia allow Home Grow. It’s simple: To decriminalize cannabis is to democratize the plant. Period. Buy it, grow it yourself—whatever.

According to research analysts, reasons why consumers grow cannabis at home for personal use ranges from cost to access and convenience. Additionally, many ailment specific strains are just not on the menu. Another factoid: Medical patients do their research and, in addition to finding the appropriate strain, many have serious concerns about contaminates — including but not limited to pesticides and mold.

About Access

State by state legislation really means city by city. Really.

California, where over 60% of voters legalized both retail and home grow is now referred to as a “Cannabis Desert” — why? At least 60% of the cities said NO to granting licenses (no shops in those cities). Most casual consumers outside of California will assume that if you live in Cali then you have dispensaries around.  Not true.  There are huge swaths of the state that opted out (that 60%).  There are areas where there just isn’t a dispensary within several hours’ drive.

But Home Grow is legal state-wide in California.  That means that growing 12 plants at home is legal in every city (that’s 100%). How bizarre is that? This “model” by the way is the same in every legal state. Now re-examine Big Canna’s statement that Home Grow impinges upon their sales.  Oh really?  In these 60% of communities where you can’t open a pot shop anyway?!  But allowing Home Grow will let these patients grow the medicine they need, instead of going without.

In North America, Home Grow is legal in all of Canada and all of Mexico. In the U.S. cannabis laws are enacted state by state as outlined above. Mexico’s full legalization rollout is still in flux, but Home Growing is legal throughout the country.

So, where is it legal to grow cannabis in the U.S.?

About a dozen recreational / adult-use states allow unlicensed growing at home, while another dozen allow it under varied medicinal rules (i.e., you might need to get a medical card or a license to grow).

The states that allow home growing, in one form or another, are Washington D.C., Washington, Vermont, Rhode Island, Illinois, Oregon, Oklahoma, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, Hawaii, Colorado, California, Arizona, New York, Virginia, South Dakota, Utah, Alaska and Connecticut, which just passed legalization.