Countries Where Recreational Cannabis is Legal
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In 2024, Germany became the third European Union country to legalize cannabis for personal use, following Malta and Luxembourg.
Here, we map the countries where recreational cannabis use is allowed as of April 2024, based on data from Wikipedia.
Limited to Few Countries
In total, only nine countries have legalized recreational cannabis use nationwide. However, just a few of them have licensed sales.
| Country | Effective date | Licensed sales since |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | December 2013 | July 2017 |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | 30 July 2018 | Never authorized |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 18 September 2018 | Never authorized |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 17 October 2018 | 17 October 2018 |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 28 June 2021 | Never authorized |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 14 December 2021 | Never authorized |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 9 June 2022 | 9 June 2022 |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 21 July 2023 | Never authorized |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 1 April 2024 | Never authorized |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | Varies by state | Varies by state |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Varies by jurisdiction | Never authorized |
At the federal level, cannabis is still considered an illegal substance in the United States. That said, individual states do have the right to determine their laws around cannabis sales and usage. Currently, cannabis is allowed in 24 states, 3 territories, and the District of Columbia.
Interestingly, the oldest legal text concerning cannabis dates back to the 1600s—when the colony of Virginia required every farm to grow and produce hemp.
Since then, cannabis use was fairly widespread until the 1930s when the Marihuana Tax Act was enforced, prohibiting marijuana federally but still technically allowing for medical use.
Today, the U.S. cannabis market is a $30 billion business. By the end of the decade, that number is expected to be anywhere from $58 billion to as much as $72 billion.
Similar to the U.S., Australia does not allow the use at the national level, but cannabis can be used legally in the Australian Capital Territory, which includes the capital Canberra.
