The Hemp Timeline
The sourced arc from prohibition (1937) through legalization, the hemp era, and scheduled federal milestones. 177 recorded events. The §781 total-THC change takes effect in 41 days; future milestones are labeled Scheduled.
2001
Hemp Industries Association v. DEA litigation begins
Hemp Industries Association files federal lawsuit challenging DEA regulations that ban hemp-derived products with only trace THC levels, seeking to distinguish legal hemp from prohibited marijuana.
2000
Nevada Question 9 (medical marijuana) adopted
Nevada voters approve Question 9 as an initiated constitutional amendment, legalizing medical marijuana and joining Colorado in the November 2000 wave.
Colorado Amendment 20 (medical marijuana) passes
Colorado voters approve Amendment 20 with 54% support, becoming the sixth state to legalize medical marijuana and the first to do so in a single general election alongside Nevada and Hawaii.
Hawaii SB 862 (Medical Marijuana Act) signed into law
Governor Ben Cayetano signs Senate Bill 862, establishing the Hawaii Medical Marijuana Act and making Hawaii the first state to legalize medical marijuana legislatively rather than by ballot initiative. Takes effect in 2001.
1999
Maine Question 2 (medical marijuana) approved
Maine voters approve Question 2 to legalize medical marijuana for patients with specified debilitating conditions, establishing Maine as the fourth state to adopt medical marijuana.
1998
DC Initiative 59 (medical marijuana) passes with 69%
District of Columbia voters overwhelmingly approve Initiative 59 with 69% support to legalize medical marijuana. Implementation is blocked by Congress's Barr Amendment until 2009.
Washington Initiative 692 (Medical Marijuana) passes
Washington state voters approve Initiative 692 with 59% support, permitting patients with debilitating conditions to use medical marijuana, extending the 1998 medical marijuana wave to the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon Measure 67 (Medical Marijuana) approved
Oregon voters approve Measure 67, legalizing medical marijuana use and possession for patients with qualifying conditions, joining Alaska on the same Election Day.
Alaska Measure 8 (Medical Marijuana Act) approved
Alaska voters approve Measure 8, a medical marijuana ballot measure, with 58.67% support. The law takes effect on March 4, 1999, following California's pioneering Prop 215.
1996
Key
California Proposition 215 (Compassionate Use Act) passes
California voters approve Proposition 215 with 56% support, permitting physicians to recommend cannabis to patients with serious illnesses. This is the first state medical marijuana ballot initiative to pass, opening the medical marijuana era nationwide.
1988
Key
DEA Judge Francis Young rules cannabis should be rescheduled
DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis L. Young issues a 68-page ruling that cannabis should be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule II, stating 'Marijuana has been accepted as capable of relieving distress of great numbers of very ill people.' DEA Administrator John Lawn rejects the finding in 1994.
1978
Key
Randall v. U.S. settlement establishes Compassionate IND
Robert Randall files a lawsuit against federal agencies seeking legal access to medical cannabis. Within 48 hours, federal agencies settle out-of-court, establishing the Compassionate Investigational New Drug (IND) program that provides legal cannabis to patients.
1976
Key
U.S. v. Randall: medical necessity defense for cannabis
Federal Judge James Washington rules in favor of Robert Randall, a glaucoma patient, using the medical necessity defense—the first successful common-law necessity defense for cannabis possession. This landmark case launches the medical cannabis movement.
1972
NORML files first rescheduling petition
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) files the first-ever administrative petition to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule V or remove it entirely. The Director refuses to accept the petition on September 1, 1972.
Key
Shafer Commission report recommends decriminalization
The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, chaired by former Pennsylvania Governor Raymond P. Shafer, issues 'Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding,' recommending decriminalization and ending prohibition. President Nixon ignores the report.
1970
Key
Controlled Substances Act places cannabis in Schedule I
President Richard Nixon signs the Controlled Substances Act, establishing Schedule I classification for cannabis and hemp without distinction, prohibiting all uses and research nationally for decades.
1937
Key
Marihuana Tax Act signed into law
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Marihuana Tax Act, the first federal anti-marijuana law, imposing a prohibitive tax on cannabis cultivation, possession, and sale nationwide.