Prohibition

Prohibition, in the cannabis context, refers to the legal regime under which the plant's cultivation, distribution, possession, and use are criminalized. Federal cannabis prohibition dates to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and was reinforced by Schedule I placement under the 1970 CSA. State-level prohibition was uniform from the 1930s until California's 1996 medical cannabis initiative (Proposition 215) and Colorado and Washington's 2012 adult-use votes. Prohibition may be absolute (no lawful access) or partial (criminal possession with a medical exception). As of April 2026, cannabis remains federally prohibited; at the state level, true prohibition persists in a shrinking group including Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska (medical program newly launching), South Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Prohibition is the baseline against which decriminalization, legalization, and medical-access regimes are measured. *→ See also: Decriminalization, Legalization, Controlled Substances Act