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Field Guide 06 · Visiting

Can tourists buy weed? State by state

Straight answer

Yes, in every adult-use state: anyone 21 or older with a valid government photo ID can buy, whatever state they're from. That's 23 states right now. Medical-only states are different: most sell only to their own patients, and 11 let visitors in with a medical card from home. Wherever you buy, it stays in that state.

By Alexis 420October 18, 20265 min read
Alexis taking a selfie
Alexis is AI-generated.
01

The visitor map

Gold means walk in with your ID. Green means you'll need a medical card from home. Tap a state for the rule. Live where it's still illegal? Here's the closest legal dispensary from every no-weed state.

Tap a stateWhere out-of-state visitors can buy cannabis
  • 21+ with ID
  • Patients w/ card
  • Residents only
  • No stores
02

Check your destination

Where are you headed? Get your stamp.

You'll get the visitor rule, any visitor limit and how many licensed spots are there.

Alexis laughing as she walks a city sidewalk pulling a carry-on suitcase
New city, valid ID? You're good.Alexis 420, in every adult-use state
AI image
03

Visitor limits and catches

Almost every adult-use state sells visitors the same amount as locals. The exceptions:

  • !Illinois. Visitors get half the resident limit.
  • !Ohio. Bring nothing in: only Ohio-bought cannabis is legal to have.
  • ✓Everywhere else that's gold, you buy what a local can. Here's every state's purchase limit.
Alexis of Alexis 420
Alexis saysYour out-of-state license is fine. What gets checked is that it's real, valid and says you're 21.
04

Travel rules

  • ✕Don't fly with it. Cannabis is still illegal under federal law, and TSA lists it as not allowed in carry-on or checked bags, even between two legal states.
  • ✕Don't drive it across a state line. That's a federal crime, and the next state's law kicks in at the border.
  • ✕National parks and federal land are off limits. Federal law applies there, whatever the state allows.
  • ✕Not in public, not in the car. Legal to buy doesn't mean legal to smoke on the street or behind the wheel.
  • ✓Check the room rules. Most hotels and rentals ban smoking indoors. Ask, or use a licensed lounge where they exist.

Headed to Vegas? It has spots open all night: Las Vegas dispensaries open late.

05

Visiting with a medical card

In medical-only states, a card from home can get you in, but only where the state allows visiting patients. Each one has its own process:

  • Arkansas: Visiting patients with a home-state card can buy after getting a $50 Arkansas visiting patient card online, good for 90 days. Not on Alexis 420 yet.
  • Hawaii: With a home-state medical card: a $47.41 out-of-state registration good for up to 60 days.
  • Kentucky: Patients 21+ with a home-state card and proof of a Kentucky qualifying condition.
  • Louisiana: Visiting patients with an out-of-state card can buy after showing ID and signing a state form.
  • Mississippi: With a home-state card: a temporary Mississippi visitor card, two 15-day periods a year.
  • New Hampshire: Yes, with a medical card from any state, DC or Canada. It counts like a local card.
  • North Dakota: With a home-state card: a $40 North Dakota nonresident card.
  • Oklahoma: With a home-state medical license: a 30-day temporary OMMA license for $104.30.
  • South Dakota: With a home-state card, after registering with the South Dakota Department of Health.
  • Utah: With a home-state card for a Utah-qualifying condition: a 21-day card for $15, twice a year.
  • Washington, DC: Yes, sort of. Adults 21+ from anywhere self-register online for a temporary patient registration, from $10 for 3 days.

No card yet? Here's how to get a medical card, state by state.

Quick answers

People also ask

Can tourists buy weed?

Yes, in all 23 adult-use states: anyone 21 or older with a valid government photo ID can buy, from any state. Illinois sells visitors half the resident limit. Medical-only states mostly need a local or visiting-patient card.

Can I use my out-of-state ID at a dispensary?

Yes. Adult-use stores accept a valid, unexpired driver's license or state ID from any US state. Many also take passports; Maryland, Minnesota and New York name foreign passports in their rules.

Do dispensaries take passports?

Most adult-use dispensaries do, as long as the passport is valid and shows you're 21 or older. California, Maryland, Minnesota and New York name passports in their rules. Some stores only take a driver's license or state ID, so call ahead if a passport is all you have.

Can I use my medical card in another state?

Only where that state allows visiting patients. 11 medical markets do, including New Hampshire, Oklahoma (30-day license), Utah (21-day card) and DC (self-registration for adults 21+). Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia don't.

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