Since 1969, many fundamental aspects of society have changed. One aspect that has seen a radical shift in public opinion is marijuana. Just 5 decades ago, only 12% of Americans surveyed were against the legalization of marijuana. As of 2023, that number has shot up to 70% and shows signs of going even higher. As of 2025, 25 states have legalized both medicinal and recreational marijuana. Many more states have legalized medicinal marijuana, but not gone to the point of legalizing recreational marijuana.
While it is true that most of the U.S. has access to legal marijuana, the legal limits of marijuana seem to vary heavily depending on the state. For instance, Alaska is a very pro-marijuana state that allows possession of 1 ounce of marijuana. However, in Washington, they allow 1 ounce of usable marijuana. This means that you can have 72 ounces of liquid marijuana, 16 ounces of concentrates, or 7 grams of edibles. Some states even go further than possession laws. In Oregon, they allow you to grow a 24-ounce supply of medical marijuana at a time.
However, increased access to marijuana means an uptick in marijuana users. This trend does not necessarily stop in states where marijuana is entirely legal, though. In 2018, more pre-employment drug tests failed due to testing positive for marijuana. In California, Colorado, Louisiana, and Kentucky. While this is entirely legal in California and Colorado, there was no legalized access to marijuana in Louisiana or Kentucky at the time.
For businesses in the US, marijuana has to be a growing concern as it continues to spread across the country. In addition to legal recreation access, many states are also pushing for accommodations for medicinal marijuana users to help deal with medical issues. States are also trying to prohibit pre-employment marijuana drug tests. If you’re a business owner, you need to keep apprised of your local marijuana laws if you want to keep your business compliant.
Source: US Drug Test Centers
