In this article, we are going to discuss the top 5 countries where weed is legal in 2023. If you want to check out our detailed analysis of the global cannabis industry, the benefits of legalizing marijuana, and the offshore business activities of some US-based cannabis companies, head to Top 20 Countries Where Weed Is Legal In 2023.
5. Israel
Annual Prevalence of Cannabis Use: 14%
Israel decriminalized the private use of cannabis for citizens over the age of 18 in 2019. For years, smoking weed has been socially permissible in the Middle Eastern nation despite being technically illegal.
Patio tables in cities like Rishon Letsiyon are dotted with people openly rolling joints and lighting up without a second thought. Ironically, smoking cannabis is tolerated in more public places in Israel than in countries like Canada, where recreational marijuana is legal.
4. Uruguay
Annual Prevalence of Cannabis Use: 14.6%
Uruguay became the world’s pioneering country to legalize adult-use marijuana in 2013, and began its sales four years later in 2017. The country’s pharmacies sold almost 10.7 million grams of marijuana between July 2017 and July 2023. There are three companies producing cannabis, and its sale is authorized in 37 pharmacies distributed across ten departments throughout the country. Uruguay also started exporting weed in 2019, and doubled exports in 2020, to $7.3 million.
3. Jamaica
Annual Prevalence of Cannabis Use: 18%
Ganja is deeply rooted in Jamaica’s history and culture, but it is not legal. The weed-friendly island country legalized medical cannabis and decriminalized possession of under 2 ounces in 2015, after more than a century of prohibition that saw the plant weaponized to silence and disenfranchise dissenters. Illegal cannabis cultivation is rampant in Jamaica, with an estimated 15,000 ha of cannabis cultivated annually illegally, mostly for export.
2. Canada
Annual Prevalence of Cannabis Use: 20.7%
The Canadian cannabis market has continued to grow at a double-digit rate since legalization – rising from a market size of $1.2 billion in 2019 to $4.7 billion in 2022 – with more than 3,000 retail locations in the country. As the first G20 country to legalize cannabis for adult use and create a national marketplace, Canada stands to set a regulatory blueprint for the rest of the world.
Ontario residents purchased more than $1.3 billion worth of legal cannabis products last year, an increase of 38% from 2021. There are currently 1,700 legal cannabis stores that currently operate in the province, with 400 situated only in Toronto.
1. United States of America
Annual Prevalence of Cannabis Use: 22.8%
Although the United States retains its existing federal prohibition on cannabis, the recreational use of weed has been legalized in 24 states, and also in the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Ohio became the 24th state to allow adult cannabis use for non-medical purposes when a majority of voters approved a corresponding ballot measure on November 7th 2023.
The U.S. legal cannabis industry took some hits in 2022, but according to top cannabis researcher Brightfield Group, annual revenue of the industry is estimated to reach $31.8 billion by the end of 2023, growing to $50.7 billion by 2028. The increasing legalization of cannabis and rising acceptance of its use for medical purposes are the key factors driving the growth of the market.
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