Mapping Out America’s Cannabis Dispensaries

American think-tank Pew Research released a new analysis that shows although marijuana is illegal at the federal level, many Americans live in states where cannabis is legal for medical or recreational use. 

The new report on the status of marijuana in the US reveals that 74% of Americans reside in states that have legalized marijuana for either recreational or medical purposes, with 54% living in states where pot is only permitted for recreational use.  

Since Colorado and Washington legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, 24 other states, along with the District of Columbia, have also embraced legalization. Moreover, 14 states have approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes only. The remaining 12 states have restricted access to marijuana products with low levels of THC or none at all. 

A map of America’s 15,000 cannabis dispensaries reveals pot shop clusters up and down the West and East Coasts but also cluster in interior states like Colorado, Oklahoma, and Michigan. 

This latest analysis, coupled with a recent Gallup poll, is an indication that an increasing number of Americans now believe marijuana should be legal. 

Meanwhile, health officials are recommending easing restrictions on marijuana, a move that sets the stage for potentially expanding the cannabis market.

A top official at the Department of Health and Human Services wrote Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram called for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, according to a letter dated Aug. 29, 2023, obtained by Bloomberg and reported last year. 

Should the DEA reclassify marijuana, it would mark a critical shift away from its status as a Schedule I substance, which includes drugs with high abuse risk, like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.