Marijuana Decriminalization and Legalization (English/Spanish)

Decriminalization of marijuana possession is a necessary first step toward more comprehensive reforms of the drug prohibition regime. Yet decriminalization alone does not address many of the greatest harms of prohibition – such as high levels of crime, corruption and violence, massive illicit markets and the harmful health consequences of drugs produced in the absence of regulatory oversight. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have decriminalized marijuana possession, while nine – Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, California and Vermont – now allow for legal regulation of marijuana for adults over 21.