Reciprocity

Reciprocity is the legal recognition by one state's cannabis program of another state's medical cards, patient registrations, or (less commonly) adult-use status. Reciprocity operates on a patchwork basis: purchase-reciprocity states (honor out-of-state cards for dispensary purchases) include Arkansas, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma (via temporary license), Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah (non-resident card), and Washington, D.C.; possession-only reciprocity states (recognize cards for possession but not purchase) include Arizona (2.5 oz/14 days for qualifying visitors), Georgia (up to 20 oz of low-THC oil), Massachusetts (1 oz), New Hampshire (2 oz), and West Virginia (terminally ill cancer patients only); non-reciprocity states include California, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois, which do not honor out-of-state cards at all. Adult-use states generally permit any 21+ visitor to purchase without credentials. Reciprocity is a state-law construct only; federal law still prohibits transporting cannabis across state lines regardless of both states' reciprocity rules, and interstate commerce remains a trafficking offense under 21 U.S.C. § 841. The term is also used informally in the licensing context for states that grant expedited review to operators licensed elsewhere. *→ See also: Medical card, Trafficking, Patient registry