Know where you stand. Which states let you grow your own — and which ones still treat home cultivation like a crime.
Oregon got it right. Any adult 21+ can grow up to 4 cannabis plants at their residence for personal use. No permit, no medical card, no government permission slip required. The plants are yours. The medicine is yours. The harvest is yours.
This is the template. Four plants per adult. Personal use. Home grown. That's all any state needs to do. It's not complicated. Oregon proved it works.
VERIFY AT OREGON.GOV →These states allow adults to grow cannabis at home without a medical card. This is your baseline — if your state isn't on this list, it should be.
Up to 6 plants per person (3 flowering at a time). Adults 21+. Personal use only. Cannot sell or distribute.
VERIFY AT ALASKA.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult, 12 per household if 2+ adults reside there. Must be in enclosed, locked space not visible to public.
VERIFY AT AZDHS.GOV →Up to 6 plants per residence for adults 21+. Local jurisdictions may add restrictions — check your city/county ordinances.
VERIFY AT CANNABIS.CA.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult, max 12 per household. Must be in enclosed, locked space. Colorado was first — they wrote the template others followed.
VERIFY AT CANNABIS.COLORADO.GOV →Up to 3 flowering plants, 12 immature plants, and unlimited seedlings per adult. One of the more generous frameworks for personal cultivation.
VERIFY AT MAINE.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult, 12 per household. Must be secured from public view and access by minors.
VERIFY AT MASSCANNABISCONTROL.COM →Up to 12 plants per adult for personal use. One of the most generous recreational grow allowances in the country.
VERIFY AT MICHIGAN.GOV →Up to 4 plants per adult for personal use. The Oregon model — 4 plants, no medical card required.
VERIFY AT MTREVENUE.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult, but ONLY if you live more than 25 miles from a licensed dispensary. A restriction that disproportionately affects rural residents.
VERIFY AT CCB.NV.GOV →Up to 6 mature and 6 immature plants per adult, 12 mature plants per household. Personal use only.
VERIFY AT RLD.NM.GOV →The gold standard. 4 plants per adult, no medical card, no permit. Personal use. This is what freedom looks like.
VERIFY AT OREGON.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult (2 mature, 4 immature). Vermont was one of the first states to legalize through the legislature, not a ballot measure.
VERIFY AT CCB.VERMONT.GOV →Up to 6 plants per adult (3 mature). Initiative 71 passed in 2014 but Congress has blocked D.C. from setting up a legal sales market — yet home growing is still protected.
VERIFY AT ABCA.DC.GOV →You can grow — but only if you have a medical card. Better than nothing, but not what freedom looks like.
Medical patients may grow up to 10 plants. Recreational is legal but home growing for recreational use is not yet permitted.
VERIFY AT HEALTH.HAWAII.GOV →Medical patients only — up to 5 plants per patient. Illinois legalized recreational cannabis but did NOT include recreational home growing rights.
VERIFY AT DPH.ILLINOIS.GOV →Recreational cannabis is legal in NJ but home growing remains prohibited for recreational users. Medical patients have limited grow rights.
VERIFY AT NJ.GOV →Recreational cannabis is legal, but home growing for recreational purposes was delayed. Verify current status — laws have been evolving rapidly.
VERIFY AT CANNABIS.NY.GOV →These states have either fully prohibited cannabis or legalized it without including home grow rights. If you live here, your senators need to hear from you — not just about §781, but about your fundamental right to grow your own medicine.
"CHECK STATUS" indicates states where laws are evolving or where we are less certain of current status. Always verify at your state's official government website.
Oregon's recreational home grow law is simple, clean, and respectful of adult autonomy. It doesn't require government permission, medical justification, or bureaucratic oversight. Here's the framework every state should use as a starting point:
4 plants per adult, 21+. Not per household — per adult. Two adults in the same home = 8 plants. This respects individual rights without creating a commercial loophole.
No permit, no medical card, no registration. You shouldn't need government permission to grow a plant for personal use in your own home. Oregon requires none of it.
Personal use only. What you grow is yours. You can't sell it — but you can consume it, share it with other adults, and give it away. This is the line between a home grower and a commercial operator.
Not visible from public spaces. Reasonable. Grow in your backyard, your garage, or your basement — just not on your front lawn facing the street. This is the only real restriction.
Secure from minors. Also reasonable. The same standard we apply to alcohol, firearms, and medications. If you have children in the home, secure your grow.
That's it. Five rules. Four plants. Zero permits. This is what adult freedom looks like when applied to cannabis cultivation. When you contact your state legislators about home grow rights, this is the framework to point them toward.