U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy: Marijuana Can Be Helpful, Use Data To Drive Policy Making

Dr. Vivek Murthy is making history as the first surgeon general of Indian descent and the youngest. Murthy joins "CBS This Morning" from Washington for his first on-camera interview since being confirmed as surgeon general and discusses his views on the legalization of marijuana. "We have to see what the science tells us about the efficacy of marijuana. I think we're going to get a lot more data on that. We have some preliminary data showing that for certain medical conditions and symptoms that marijuana can be helpful, so I think we have to use that data to drive policy making. I'm interested to see where that data takes us." Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General.

As we all know by now the legalization of medical marijuana is taking place in many states throughout the United States. However, the federal government has NOT come on board yet!

Did you know that there are many dispensaries around the nation. They are legal in the states they are in but according to the federal government they are still illegal. Meaning that at any time if the Feds want to they could close every single one of the dispensaries. If they did the people working there and the owners would face multiple life sentences?

Hummm something to think about, yes?
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State Marijuana Laws in 2017 Map

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia currently have laws broadly legalizing marijuana in some form.

Seven states and the District of Columbia have adopted the most expansive laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Most recently, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada all passed measures in November legalizing recreational marijuana. California’s Prop. 64 measure allows adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and grow up to six plants in their homes. Other tax and licensing provisions of the law will not take effect until January 2018.

Several legislatures in states recently passing legalization measures are debating regulatory proposals around the use and sale of marijuana. Massachusetts lawmakers were weighing bills earlier this year that would lower the amount residents can legally possess and place restrictions on retail stores.

A number of states have also decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Some medical marijuana laws are broader than others, with types of medical conditions that allow for treatment varying from state to state. Several states (not shown on the map below) have passed narrow laws allowing residents to possess cannabis only if they suffer from certain rare medical illnesses.

Our map shows current state laws and recently-approved ballot measures legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes. Final rules for recently-passed medical marijuana laws are pending in Arkansas, Florida and North Dakota.

Information is current as of Sept. 14, 2017.

Marijuana Legalization Status

	Medical marijuana broadly legalized
	Marijuana legalized for recreational use
	No broad laws legalizing marijuana

Some states shown above with no laws broadly legalizing medical marijuana provide limited access under certain circumstances. States like Alabama and Mississippi, for instance, maintain laws permitting medical marijuana for severe epileptic conditions.

Some states, such as Virginia, enacted laws decades ago allowing for the possession of marijuana if individuals received prescriptions from doctors. Federal law, however, prohibits doctors from prescribing marijuana, rendering those laws invalid. Doctors can only write a recommendation for medical marijuana, which is different than a prescription.

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