Can you go to a dispensary at 18? Medical cards, ID and the rules in 21 states

All 17 adult-use states in this guide set the age at 21; the other four, Florida, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas, allow only medical sales. California's regulations let a retailer sell adult-use cannabis only to someone at least 21, after inspecting a valid ID (4 CCR 15404(a)). New York's Cannabis Law bars a dispensary from selling to anyone actually or apparently under 21 (Cannabis Law 85). Arizona's adult-use statute does not allow anyone under 21 to buy, possess or use marijuana, and defines a consumer as someone at least 21 (A.R.S. 36-2851, 36-2850).

Colorado's rules bar a retail store from selling to anyone under 21 or letting them into the restricted area where products are sold, and require two ID checks: one before you enter that area and one before the sale (1 CCR 212-3, Rule 6-110). Nevada's Cannabis Compliance Board says an adult-use customer must show a valid government photo ID proving they are 21 or older. Every adult-use state in this guide accepts a driver's license from another U.S. state, so a visitor aged 21 or older can buy.

In most of these states the age rule covers the door as well as the counter, so a parent cannot bring a teenager into an adult-use store unless the teenager is a registered patient where the state allows it. California keeps everyone under 21 out of a store licensed only for adult use (4 CCR 15400(a)), New York requires licensees to limit access to their premises to people 21 and older (9 NYCRR 125.3(a)(1)), and Colorado bars anyone under 21 from a retail store's sales area (Rule 6-110(A)). Nevada stores must post a sign saying no minors are permitted unless the minor holds a letter of approval and is with a designated primary caregiver (NCCR 6.120).

Massachusetts, Michigan, Washington and Ohio draw the same line. A Massachusetts retailer may not admit anyone until ID shows they are 21 or older (935 CMR 500.140(2)(a)), and Michigan licenses retailers to sell only to people 21 or older (MCL 333.27953). Washington keeps everyone under 21 out of a store apart from card-holding patients at medically endorsed stores (RCW 69.50.357(2)), and Ohio keeps them out of a dispensary unless they are registered patients showing patient ID (OAC 1301:18-8-02(H)(2)). None of the four limits adult-use sales to residents.

The other eight adult-use states hold the same line at 21: New Jersey (N.J.A.C. 17:30-14.3), Illinois (410 ILCS 705/15-85), Maryland (Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 36-1101), Oregon (ORS 475C.317), Connecticut (21a-420), Missouri (Article XIV, Section 2.2), New Mexico (16.8.2.40(E) NMAC) and Minnesota (342.27, subd. 4). None of them limits adult-use sales to residents, though Illinois sets a lower possession limit for non-residents (410 ILCS 705/10-10). New Jersey and Missouri do let a parent bring someone under 21 inside: a New Jersey retailer may admit someone under 21 who is with a parent or legal guardian (N.J.A.C. 17:30-14.2(d)), and a Missouri dispensary may let someone under 21 past its entry screening area accompanied by a parent or guardian shopping as a patient, caregiver or adult customer (19 CSR 100-1.180).

California's Department of Cannabis Control says you can buy at 18 or older with a physician's recommendation for medicinal use, and at 21 or older for adult use. The store needs a medicinal (M) license: a store with only an adult-use license must keep everyone under 21 out, while an M store may admit people 18 and older who hold a valid physician's recommendation (4 CCR 15400). Before selling, staff confirm your age, identity and the recommendation (4 CCR 15404(b)).

The state Medical Marijuana Identification Card is optional. The California Department of Public Health says participation is voluntary, that you apply through the program in the county where you live with your recommendation, a government photo ID and proof of residency, and that card holders pay no sales tax on medicinal purchases. CDPH also says California does not recognize other states' medical cards. A visiting patient under 21 therefore cannot buy here, and a visitor 21 or older shops as an adult-use customer.

At the door, California accepts a government document showing your name, date of birth, height, gender and photo, such as a driver's license; a military ID; or a passport issued by the United States or any other country (4 CCR 15404(c)). Staff must confirm age and identity before you reach the sales floor (4 CCR 15402(a)), and curbside staff check age too (4 CCR 15402(d)). DCC adds that cities and counties may have stricter laws than the state, which is exactly what San Jose has.

San Jose is the clearest exception in this guide. Section 6.88.440 of the city's municipal code, current through an ordinance of 16 Jun 2026, says no one under 21 may be at a dispensary (subsection G), bars medical cannabis transfers to anyone under 21 (J), and allows medical cannabis only for a qualified patient or primary caregiver who is also 21 or older (K). A physician's recommendation does not change this, even at a store that also holds a state medicinal license.

The code also controls the door. A dispensary must check the age of every person entering with an electronic age verification device, and staff may not type a birthdate in by hand (I). An adult who arrives with someone under 21 is not allowed in and may not buy for the rest of the business day (H). Shops say the same: Haze's FAQ answers an 18-year-old with a recommendation by saying it serves recreational and medical customers 21 or older, and Elemental Wellness says you must be 21 or older to enter.

Some San Jose store pages carry chain-wide wording: STIIIZY's DELI San Jose page lists 18+ with a valid medical recommendation, but the city code governs that address. Elsewhere in California the state rule holds. Tracy's code lets a store with a medicinal license admit people 18 and older with ID and a recommendation or county card (TMC 6.36.380), Tracy Farms says patients aged 18 to 20 with a valid California card are welcome, and Cannavine says patients 18 and older can shop at its four stores.

New York splits the market by door. Adult-use dispensaries serve only people 21 and older (Cannabis Law 85). Certified medical patients buy at separate dispensaries run by Registered Organizations, where staff must see a valid practitioner certification and a government photo ID and use the ID to confirm the patient is 18 or older (Cannabis Law 32(2)(a)). A certified patient must be a New York resident or be receiving care in the state (Cannabis Law 3(15)), so an 18-year-old New Yorker can be certified but cannot use an adult-use store.

Certification comes from a New York health care provider who can certify patients, in person or by telehealth. OCM says the certification carries a registry ID and can be used right away with a government photo ID at a licensed medical dispensary. Patients under 18 need consent from a parent or guardian and at least one designated caregiver, such as that parent (Cannabis Law 32(3)), and OCM says the caregiver for a patient under 18 must be 18 or older.

Visiting patients are a recent change. Cannabis Law 32-a lets patients certified or registered in another U.S. state buy from a Registered Organization if they show proof of that status and a valid government photo ID. The Cannabis Control Board's rules carrying it out took effect on 22 Jul 2026, and its notice in the State Register says medical dispensaries may accept other states' certifications immediately. The statute sets no separate age for visitors, so ask the dispensary first. At adult-use stores, accepted IDs include any U.S. state license, IDNYC, a passport from any country and a consular ID (9 NYCRR 123.10(d)).

Nevada lets registered medical patients under 21 into dispensaries. The Cannabis Compliance Board's summary of the law says stores may not provide cannabis to anyone under 21, except medical cardholders. Its regulations list a patient with a valid registry identification card or letter of approval among the people allowed on a sales floor, and let a store holding both medical and adult-use licenses sell to someone under 21 when the sale complies with state law (NCCR 6.070 and 7.020). Anyone else on the floor, apart from staff, caregivers and inspectors, must be 21.

Cards come from the state health division's registry. Its FAQ says the applicant's healthcare provider must sign the provider statement and the applicant must send a copy of a Nevada state-issued ID; online registration is closed to ages 0 to 17, whose custodial parent must call the registry. Visitors are partly covered: the Board's rules allow on the premises a nonresident who is deemed to hold a card under NRS 678C.470, and its FAQ says reciprocity is offered to some states' residents, so ask the dispensary if your state qualifies.

At the door, Nevada takes only valid, unexpired IDs with a photo and birth date: a U.S. state driver's license, permit or ID card, a U.S. military ID, a merchant mariner credential, a passport issued or recognized by the U.S. government, a permanent resident card, or a qualifying tribal ID (NAC 678B.306, quoted in the Board's FAQ). The FAQ allows one exception: a U.S. state license or ID expired no more than two years, shown with a second document such as a birth certificate. A visiting patient may use a passport, or a state ID from the state that issued the medical card.

Colorado allows medical patients from 18, with conditions. A 2021 law, House Bill 21-1317, requires a patient aged 18 to 20 to be diagnosed by two physicians from different medical practices after an in-person consultation, with follow-up visits every six months unless the patient is homebound. The state's rules cap medical concentrate at 2 grams a day for patients 18 to 20, against 8 grams for patients 21 and older (Rule 5-125), and medical delivery orders to patients aged 18 to 20 are not permitted (Rule 3-615).

Not every medical store admits patients under 21. The rules let a medical store choose to serve only patients over 21, and a store doing so on a shared site must post signs that people under 21 may not enter; a store that admits younger patients and shares a site with a retail store must keep separate entrances and sales areas (Rule 3-215). Call ahead. To buy, a patient shows ID, a valid registry card or proof of a registry application filed with the state health department in the past 35 days, and a physician certification (Rule 3-405(A)).

That registry is Colorado's own, run by the state health department, so a card from another state does not meet the rule. At retail stores, staff check ID twice, before you enter the sales area and before the sale (Rule 6-110(B)). Accepted IDs are a driver's license or state ID from any U.S. state, D.C. or territory, including temporary ones; a U.S. military or other federal ID, such as a permanent resident card or consular card; a passport or passport card; or a tribal enrollment card. Stores must refuse an invalid or expired ID (Rule 3-405(C) and (D)).

Arizona's adult-use law stops at 21, but its older medical law does not. The adult-use statute says it does not limit any right of a qualifying patient under the medical marijuana act (A.R.S. 36-2851), and that act lets a patient apply to the Department of Health Services for a registry card with a physician's written certification issued within the previous 90 days (A.R.S. 36-2804.02). A patient under 18 needs a custodial parent's written consent, certifications from two physicians, and that parent as designated caregiver controlling the purchases (A.R.S. 36-2804.03(B)).

Registered patients buy at nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries, which may sell only to registered patients, their registered caregivers, other dispensaries and labs, and a patient may obtain no more than 2.5 ounces in any 14-day period (A.R.S. 36-2816). A card from another state has the same force as an Arizona card for possession, but a visiting patient may not obtain marijuana from a nonprofit dispensary (A.R.S. 36-2804.03(C)). The law defines a visiting patient as someone who is not an Arizona resident or has lived in Arizona for less than 30 days (A.R.S. 36-2801).

At the door, the statute points stores to the liquor law's ID list until the health department adopts its own (A.R.S. 36-2854(A)(6)). That list covers an unexpired driver's license from Arizona, another state, D.C., a U.S. territory or Canada with photo and birth date, a state ID, a military ID, a valid passport or resident alien card, certain consular cards and a U.S. border crossing card (A.R.S. 4-241(K)). An Arizona license issued to someone under 21 stops being acceptable 30 days after the holder turns 21, so replace it before you shop.

Massachusetts sells adult-use cannabis only to people 21 and older, and registered medical patients can buy from 18 at medical stores. A retailer's agent must inspect your ID on entry, keep you out until it proves you are 21 or older, and look at it again at the point of sale (935 CMR 500.140(2)(a), (b)). Visitors from other states need nothing more: the Cannabis Control Commission asks only that they be 21 or older with valid government-issued ID. Its checklist for a caregiver's first visit to a medical store names a driver's license, state ID card, passport or military ID, and turns away temporary IDs.

The medical program certifies residents 18 and older who have a debilitating medical condition (935 CMR 501.002). A certifying healthcare provider issues the certification and, unless the patient has had a temporary card in the past year, a temporary registration card that is good for buying for up to 14 days, until the annual card arrives (935 CMR 501.015(3)). Medical stores inspect the registration card and a driver's license, government ID card, military ID or passport at the door (935 CMR 501.140(2)(a)). A patient under 18 needs two Massachusetts physicians, who must find a life-limiting illness or, with a parent's written consent, decide that the benefits outweigh the risks; the patient may not enter without a caregiver, and every personal caregiver must be 21 or older (935 CMR 501.002, 501.010(11), 501.140(2)(a)).

Cards from other states do not work at Massachusetts medical stores. Under the Commission's guidance, only registered patients who live in Massachusetts, or their caregivers, may buy medical marijuana, and the rules' one exception covers non-residents getting end-of-life care, palliative care or cancer treatment in the state, as a certifying provider determines (935 CMR 501.002). A visiting patient aged 18 to 20 therefore cannot buy, while one who is 21 or older can shop at an adult-use store. Question 8 on the 3 Nov 2026 ballot would end adult-use retail sales from 1 Jan 2028 if approved; the current rules apply until any change takes effect.

Michigan sells adult-use cannabis only to people 21 and older, but registered medical patients can buy from 18 at provisioning centers, which also take other states' cards. The adult-use law does not authorize anyone under 21 to buy, possess or use marijuana (MCL 333.27954), and a retailer must confirm a valid driver's license or government ID card bearing a photo and proof of age before a sale (Mich. Admin. Code R 420.505). There is no residency rule. The rule names a license or ID card rather than a passport, so a visitor carrying only a foreign passport should ask the store first.

Provisioning centers are the medical side of Michigan's licensed market. The Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) says a Michigan resident can apply for a registry card at 18; the application needs a physician's written certification and proof of Michigan residency, and the card lasts two years (MCL 333.26426(a), (e)). Before each sale the center checks a valid, unexpired registry card and a photo ID and holds the patient to 2.5 ounces a day and 10 ounces a month (R 420.505, R 420.506). A patient under 18 needs certifications from two physicians and a parent or guardian who agrees to act as primary caregiver and control purchases (MCL 333.26426(b)); caregivers must be at least 21 (MCL 333.26423).

Visiting patients can buy as well. The medical act treats a registry card from another state like a Michigan card when its holder is a visiting qualifying patient, which covers nonresidents and anyone resident for under 30 days (MCL 333.26424(k), 333.26423), and a provisioning center may sell to that patient after checking the card and a photo ID (R 420.505(3)). Neither the act nor the rule sets a separate age for visitors, so call ahead. Medical stores are far fewer than adult-use ones: the CRA's report for February 2026 lists 95 active provisioning center licenses on 28 Feb 2026, against 835 active retailer licenses.

Washington lets patients aged 18 to 20 buy only with a recognition card, and only at a store holding a medical cannabis endorsement. Its retail statute bars anyone under 21 from a licensed store, then makes that exception, and lets a card-holding patient under 18 enter an endorsed store with a designated provider but not buy (RCW 69.50.357(2)). No one under 21 may possess cannabis at all unless they are a qualifying patient holding a valid authorization (RCW 69.50.4013(5)). The Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) publishes a list of endorsed stores; the one dated 13 Oct 2026 names 276 licenses, and the agency warns that it can lag behind changes, so call before you go.

The recognition card is Washington's own system, and the store issues it. The Department of Health says a patient first gets a medical cannabis authorization from a health care practitioner, then books an appointment with a certified medical cannabis consultant at an endorsed store, bringing the authorization and a government ID. The store enters the patient in the state's medical cannabis authorization database, takes a photo and issues the card (RCW 69.51A.230(2), (3)), and the department says the first practitioner visit and the first card must both be in person. A card lasts one year from the authorization for a patient 18 or older and six months for a patient under 18 (RCW 69.51A.230(4)).

Minors and visitors face tighter limits. For a patient under 18, a parent or guardian must agree, act as designated provider with sole control of the cannabis and hold a card too, and the minor may not buy (RCW 69.51A.220); every designated provider must be 21 or older (RCW 69.51A.010). Out-of-state cards do not count, because a qualifying patient must have been a Washington resident when diagnosed (RCW 69.51A.010), so a visitor aged 18 to 20 cannot buy. For ID, stores take an unexpired license or ID card from any U.S. state, territory, D.C. or Canadian province, a passport or passport card, a NEXUS, Global Entry or permanent resident card, or a U.S. military ID, among others (WAC 314-55-150); a driver's license from any other country is not enough.

Ohio lets people under 21 into a dispensary only as registered medical patients. The Division of Cannabis Control's dispensary rule bars anyone under 21 from the licensed premises unless the rules allow it, admits a registered patient under 21 who presents valid patient identification, and requires a patient under 18 to come with a registered caregiver (OAC 1301:18-8-02(H)(2)). For adult use, the statute defines a consumer as someone at least 21 (R.C. 3796.01(A)(8)), and dispensaries may sell to that consumer only on a current, valid, government-issued ID proving the age (R.C. 3796.20(C)(1)).

ID is checked three times, at the door of the sales area, at the sale and at hand-over, and each check needs a government photo ID showing a birth date (OAC 1301:18-8-02(H)(1)). For a medical sale, staff confirm that the buyer is a registered patient at least 18 or a caregiver at least 21 and see proof of that registration (OAC 1301:18-8-09(A)). The statute also requires a physician's written recommendation, and the physician must hold the State Medical Board's certificate to recommend (R.C. 3796.20(B)). Neither the statute nor the rules list accepted ID documents, so each store decides whether a foreign passport works.

Ohio does not honor other states' medical cards today. To register, a patient must be an Ohio resident, unless a reciprocity agreement made under R.C. 3796.16 says otherwise (OAC 1301:18-10-01), and this guide found no such agreement on the division's patient pages when it checked on 16 Oct 2026. The statute asks the division to seek those agreements in good faith with states that have similar eligibility rules and honor Ohio's card (R.C. 3796.16). Until one exists, a visitor aged 18 to 20 cannot buy, and a visiting patient who is 21 or older buys on adult-use terms, within the 2.5-ounce and 15-gram limits.

New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut sell adult-use cannabis only to people 21 and older, and each accepts a driver's license from another state. New Jersey staff check ID at the door and again before the sale, and its list covers a U.S. or foreign passport, a photo driver's license from any state and other U.S. government photo IDs (N.J.A.C. 17:30-14.3). Maryland names a state driver's license or ID card, a U.S. or foreign passport, a U.S. military ID and a tribal card, each valid and unexpired; a college student ID does not count (COMAR 14.17.12.04). Connecticut's statute names a driver's license or Connecticut ID card (21a-421fff), and the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) says any valid government photo ID works for adults 21 and older from any state.

At 18 to 20 the way in is a medical registration. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) says New Jersey patients can enter alternative treatment centers, the state's medical dispensaries, from 18. Maryland dispensaries admit registered patients and caregivers alongside adults 21 and older (COMAR 14.17.12.02), patients may buy from 18 once registered with the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA), and staff check the patient's MCA identification number and a government photo ID before each sale (36-302; COMAR 14.17.12.04). Connecticut registers resident patients 18 and older on their own (21a-408), and DCP says registered patients under 21 may buy only through the medical program, at hybrid retailers or medical dispensary facilities.

Patients under 18 depend on an adult. New Jersey requires a pediatric specialist as the authorizing practitioner for a minor, and its caregivers must be New Jersey residents at least 18 years old (N.J.S.A. 24:6I-3). In Maryland a patient under 18 obtains cannabis only through a caregiver, who must be a parent or legal guardian or one of up to two other adults the parent designates (Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis 36-101, 36-302). Connecticut requires a parent, guardian or legal custodian to consent, act as caregiver and control purchases for a patient under 18, every caregiver must be at least 18, and a dispensary facility may not hand a minor's caregiver anything smokable, inhalable or vaporizable (21a-408, 21a-408b).

The three states differ on visiting patients. New Jersey treats a patient registered in another state as a New Jersey patient for up to six months, but a store may dispense to that visitor only on written instructions from a New Jersey-licensed practitioner (N.J.S.A. 24:6I-5.3), and the CRC says the practitioner enrolls the visitor for a nonrenewable six-month card. Maryland takes no outside card: MCA says only registered Maryland patients and caregivers buy under the medical program, so a visitor under 21 cannot buy. Connecticut has accepted other states' cards since 1 Oct 2026 at hybrid retailers and dispensary facilities, with DCP's verification form, the home-state card and a government photo ID showing that you live in the issuing state at each purchase (21a-408; DCP). Public Act 26-8's definition of a qualifying out-of-state patient sets no age, so call the store before relying on it at 18 to 20.

Illinois, Missouri and Minnesota sell adult-use cannabis only to people 21 and older and have no residency rule. An Illinois dispensary must see valid, unexpired government ID with a photo and birth date and scan it where the document allows (410 ILCS 705/15-85, 10-20). Missouri requires a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID at each sale (19 CSR 100-1.180); the examples in the state health department's FAQ are all U.S. documents, and no Missouri rule or FAQ addresses foreign passports. Minnesota spells out the list: a license or ID card from any U.S. state or a Canadian province, a tribal ID, a U.S. passport and, for foreign nationals, a passport (342.27, subd. 4).

Registered patients under 21 can shop at medical counters in all three. Illinois lets them buy only at a store licensed for medical sales (410 ILCS 705/15-85); since 10 Sep 2026 any adult-use dispensary in good standing may add a medical license, and 169 of the 289 active adult-use licenses on IDFPR's list of 7 Oct 2026 show one. Missouri dispensaries let registered patients under 21 past the entry screening area (19 CSR 100-1.180), and the health department says a patient card needs a certification from a physician or nurse practitioner licensed in Missouri but no proof of Missouri residency (19 CSR 100-1.040).

In Minnesota, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) says anyone 18 or older can sign up for the medical registry without a parent. The retail rule opens a store's sales area to people 21 or older and to registry enrollees and their caregivers (Minn. R. 9810.2501), and medical products are sold where the business holds a medical cannabis retail endorsement, as 55 of the 234 retail sites on OCM's list of 28 Sep 2026 do.

Patients under 18 need an adult in each state. In Illinois, the state health department says a minor needs certifications from a recommending and a reviewing health care professional and may name up to three caregivers, at least one a parent or legal guardian, who may buy only cannabis-infused products for the minor. Missouri requires a parent or legal guardian as caregiver for a patient under 18 who is not emancipated, and every caregiver must be 21 or older (19 CSR 100-1.040). Minnesota caregivers must be at least 18, and a parent, legal guardian or spouse may act as a patient's caregiver (342.52, subds. 9 and 10).

Out-of-state cards split the group. Illinois issues registry cards to Illinois residents, and this guide found no provision honoring another state's card, so a visitor under 21 cannot buy. Missouri lets each dispensary accept a substantially equivalent card from another state with a valid photo ID (Article XIV, Section 1.5(1); 19 CSR 100-1.180), and Minnesota lets stores with a medical retail endorsement serve a visiting patient who shows a home-program card plus that program's photo ID, a driver's license or a state ID (342.51, subd. 2a). Minnesota's retail rule opens the sales area only to people 21 or older and to enrollees in Minnesota's own registry, and Missouri leaves acceptance to each store, so a visitor aged 18 to 20 should call ahead in either state.

Oregon and New Mexico sell adult-use cannabis only to people 21 and older, and neither has a residency rule. Oregon's statute lists a passport from any country, a U.S. state driver's license or ID card, a U.S. military or tribal ID, or proof of NEXUS or SENTRI enrollment; a driver's license from another country is not on the list (ORS 475C.217). New Mexico takes a government-issued photo ID showing name and birth date, an Armed Forces ID or a passport from any country (16.8.2.40(E) NMAC), and its Cannabis Regulation Act bars the state from imposing a residency requirement on adult-use buyers (26-2C-6(I)).

Both let registered patients aged 18 to 20 buy. Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) cardholders 18 and older may buy from retailers that have registered for medical sales (OAR 845-025-2800, 845-025-2900), and the Oregon Health Authority issues a card at 18 to an applicant with an attending provider's documentation and proof of Oregon residency (ORS 475C.783). New Mexico's retail rule admits patients, caregivers and visiting reciprocal participants from 18 who carry a Department of Health registry card and lets them buy medical products (16.8.2.40(B) NMAC); the Cannabis Control Division's Bulletin 25-15 adds that verified patients that age need no other adult with them.

Neither state lets a patient under 18 into the store. The Oregon Health Authority says minors under 18 may not be in any part of a dispensary where marijuana is present, even as patients, and a card for an applicant under 18 requires a custodial parent or legal guardian who consents, serves as designated primary caregiver and controls acquisition and dosage (ORS 475C.783(3)). New Mexico's division says patients under 18 may not enter a licensed retail premises or buy, so their designated primary caregiver buys for them; a parent or legal representative must consent and serve as that caregiver, and caregivers must be New Mexico residents at least 18 years old (7.34.3.7, 7.34.3.10 NMAC).

On visiting patients the two states part ways. Oregon issues cards only to residents (ORS 475C.783), and this guide found no provision honoring another state's card, so a visitor aged 18 to 20 cannot buy. New Mexico accepts reciprocal participants: non-residents enrolled by a government in their home state's medical program or in that of a New Mexico Indian nation, tribe or pueblo, who register at a participating store by showing government proof of enrollment and a photo ID issued by the same jurisdiction; registered visitors can buy as much as 425 units in any 90 days (26-2B-3(O); 7.34.3.22 NMAC). A visiting patient under 18 may not buy, but a parent or legal guardian holding home-state authorization may buy on the child's behalf (7.34.3.22 NMAC).

Florida, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and Texas have no adult-use market, so being 21 opens no door there: every buyer needs that state's medical authorization. Florida treatment centers fill orders only for patients and caregivers with an active Medical Marijuana Use Registry card (s. 381.986(8)(e)16.d), Pennsylvania dispensaries only for holders of a Department of Health ID card (28 Pa. Code 1161a.23), Oklahoma dispensaries only for holders of an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) license, which staff verify in OMMA's system (OAC 442:10-5-12), and Texas dispensing organizations only for patients a physician has entered in the Compassionate Use Registry (Health and Safety Code 487.107).

Adults 18 and older can qualify on their own in all four. Florida's Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) says its program has no age restriction, and patients 18 and older register without a caregiver (s. 381.986). Pennsylvania's rules treat anyone 18 or older as an adult patient (28 Pa. Code 1141a.21), and Oklahoma residents can apply at 18 with an Oklahoma physician's signed recommendation (63 O.S. 420(L), (M)). Texas sets no minimum patient age and issues no card: the physician enters the prescription in the registry, and the patient pays no state fee (DPS patient FAQ).

Patients under 18 generally buy through an adult. Florida requires a second physician's concurrence, a parent's or guardian's written consent and a designated caregiver, and no treatment center may dispense directly to a patient under 18 (s. 381.986(4)(a)3, (6)(f), (7)(b), (8)(e)16.e); caregivers must be Florida residents 21 or older (s. 381.986(6)(b)). In Pennsylvania a minor gets a patient authorization letter instead of a card and needs a caregiver who is a parent, a guardian, someone a parent or guardian designates or a person the department approves, and anyone under 18 may enter a dispensary only as a patient or with a parent, guardian or caregiver; caregivers must be 21 or older unless the department allows otherwise (35 P.S. 10231.506, 10231.507; 28 Pa. Code 1161a.26, 1191a.32).

Oklahoma requires the signatures of two physicians and of a parent or guardian for applicants under 18, and a minor patient needs a parent or legal guardian alongside to enter a dispensary (63 O.S. 420(L); OAC 442:10-5-15). In Texas, the physician may record a legal guardian for a patient under 18, and only the patient or that guardian may pick up (DPS patient FAQ).

Of the four, only Oklahoma opens its counters to visitors. Florida issues cards only to residents, seasonal residents included, and offers no reciprocity (s. 381.986(5)(b), (7)(a); OMMU), Pennsylvania requires residency shown with a Pennsylvania driver's license or ID card (35 P.S. 10231.103; Department of Health), and a Texas physician may prescribe only to a permanent Texas resident (Occupations Code 169.003). Oklahoma must offer a 30-day temporary license to patients licensed in states with state-regulated programs (63 O.S. 420(F)). OMMA says it is open to visitors of any age whose card was issued by their home state's government, not by a provider, which rules out Texas patients, and for a minor it prints the signing parent's or guardian's name on the license so that adult can buy.

For the buyer, a first offense usually brings a civil fine. In New York, a person under 21 who is not a certified patient and is caught with cannabis faces a civil penalty of up to $50, which is not a criminal conviction (Cannabis Law 132(4)). In Arizona, a first possession of an ounce or less under 21 brings a civil penalty of up to $100 and possibly up to four hours of drug education; a second is a petty offense and a third a class 1 misdemeanor. Using a fake ID is a petty offense the first time and a class 1 misdemeanor after that (A.R.S. 36-2853).

Nevada's regulator says a person under 21 who falsely claims to be 21 to get cannabis is guilty of a misdemeanor, and one who knowingly enters or stays in a cannabis establishment can be fined up to $500 unless they hold a medical card. Adults who buy for minors face their own charges: in New York, a person 21 or older who sells or gives cannabis to someone under 21 commits a class A misdemeanor, with a defense if they are less than three years older (Penal Law 222.50). OCM adds that a dispensary can lose its license for selling to anyone under 21.

Stores risk their licenses. California's guidelines treat a sale of adult-use cannabis to a minor as a Tier 2 violation: at least a stayed revocation with a 15 to 30 day suspension, a fine or both, and at most revocation (4 CCR 17814). Colorado's rules effective 1 Nov 2026 make a retail sale to anyone under 21 a Level I violation, with suspension, fines in lieu of suspension of up to $100,000 or revocation (Rule 8-235). Nevada's first penalty is up to $25,000 and up to 20 days' suspension (NCCR 4.040), and Arizona can suspend or revoke a license and fine up to $2,000 per violation (A.R.S. 36-2854(B)).

Massachusetts makes buying or trying to buy under 21, or lying about age or altering an ID to do it, a civil offense: up to $100 and a drug awareness program, with parents notified for offenders under 18 (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(f)). The Commission's summary exempts 18 to 20 year olds with a medical registration card. In Michigan, possession of up to 2.5 ounces under 21 is a civil infraction, fined up to $100 the first time and $500 the second (MCL 333.27965). Ohio is stricter: lying about age to buy and showing a fake ID at a dispensary are first-degree misdemeanors, the second with a fine of $250 to $1,000, and asking someone else to buy is a fourth-degree misdemeanor the first time (R.C. 3796.99(G), (H)).

Adults who supply minors, and stores that let them in, face penalties too. In Massachusetts, furnishing cannabis to a person under 21 can bring a fine of up to $2,000, up to a year in jail or both (c. 94G, s. 13(i)). In Ohio it is a first-degree misdemeanor, a second offense is a fifth-degree felony, and a convicted licensee forfeits its license at once (R.C. 3796.99(C), 3796.06(F)). Washington's statute requires the LCB to fine a store $1,000 for each violation of its retail rules, which include keeping out anyone under 21 who is not a card-holding patient (RCW 69.50.357(6)).

Most of the other adult-use states also treat a buyer under 21 as a civil matter. New Jersey answers possession or use under 21 with written warnings, a community services referral on a third violation and notice to the parents of anyone under 18 (N.J.S.A. 2C:33-15). Illinois fines possession under 21 $100 to $200 (410 ILCS 705/10-15), Missouri up to $100 for 3 ounces or less, with drug education allowed instead (Article XIV, Section 2.10(5)), and Maryland up to $100 for the personal use amount (Criminal Law 5-601).

Connecticut fines 18 to 20 year olds $50 for less than 5 ounces the first time (21a-279a), Oregon makes possessing or trying to buy under 21 a Class B violation for which the court must suspend driving privileges (ORS 475C.317), and New Mexico orders four hours of drug education or community service (26-2C-30(A)). A false ID is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois and Oregon (410 ILCS 705/10-20; ORS 475C.321) and costs up to $250 the first time in Connecticut (21a-421fff).

In the four medical-only states, possessing cannabis without that state's medical authorization is illegal at any age. Florida treats 20 grams or less of plant cannabis as a first-degree misdemeanor (s. 893.13(6)(b)), Pennsylvania's maximum for 30 grams or less is 30 days in jail, a $500 fine or both (35 P.S. 780-113), and in Texas 2 ounces or less is a Class B misdemeanor carrying as much as 180 days in jail, a $2,000 fine or both (Health and Safety Code 481.121; Penal Code 12.22). In Oklahoma unlicensed possession is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year and a $1,000 fine, but someone who has 1.5 ounces or less and can state a medical condition gets a citation of up to $400 instead (63 O.S. 2-402, 420(B)).

The age rule at a dispensary's door applies whatever you plan to buy, so hemp products do not open it to an 18-year-old. In California the point is moot for now: state law (Business and Professions Code section 26000.5) bars licensed cannabis stores from selling industrial hemp until 1 Jan 2028 while DCC develops the rules that will let them sell it. DCC also says that a hemp product with any detectable THC is considered intoxicating and its sale restricted, and that hemp flower, inhalable hemp products and products with synthetic cannabinoids are prohibited. Nevada's Board says dispensaries may sell tested hemp and CBD products below 0.3 percent THC, but its premises rules still apply.

Outside dispensaries, state rules differ by product. New York's OCM says some hemp products, such as anything smoked or vaped, can be sold only to people 21 or older, and that intoxicating hemp products are not legal in its program. Colorado's Senate Bill 23-271 bars selling a hemp product to anyone under 21 if it has more than 1.25 mg of THC and a CBD to THC ratio below 20 to 1, with exceptions for products with no THC, tinctures and cosmetics. Arizona's Attorney General says only licensed dispensaries may sell THC edibles and drinks, including delta-8 and delta-9 products.

Federal law is about to narrow what counts as hemp. Public Law 119-37, signed on 12 Nov 2025, changes the definition 365 days after enactment, on 12 Nov 2026 (Division B, section 781). A stopgap law signed on 2 Sep 2026 (Public Law 119-103, Division B, section 2019) limits the change until 11 Dec 2026 to hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing cannabinoids that a Cannabis sativa L. plant cannot produce naturally. Once that limit ends, a finished hemp-derived product with more than 0.4 mg of total THC and similar cannabinoids per container, or with cannabinoids synthesized outside the plant, is also no longer hemp under federal law. Neither section sets a buying age, so age limits stay with the states.

Washington and Ohio keep THC hemp products inside licensed stores, behind the same age rule. Since 23 Jul 2023 only licensed cannabis retailers in Washington may sell products with any detectable THC, hemp-derived and synthetic THC included, apart from exempt health and beauty aids and FDA-approved products (chapter 365, Laws of 2023). Ohio's ban on intoxicating hemp took effect on 20 Mar 2026, and the state Department of Commerce says a product with more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container is marijuana that only a licensed dispensary may sell (R.C. 928.01). Michigan counts a consumer product with more than 0.3 percent THC, or more total THC than the CRA allows, as marijuana rather than hemp (MCL 333.27953).

Florida, Texas and Minnesota set 21 as the buying age for many hemp products sold outside dispensaries. Florida bars selling hemp extract products meant to be eaten or inhaled to buyers under 21, and a seller who does so commits a second-degree misdemeanor (s. 581.217(7)(d)). Texas requires every seller of a consumable hemp product to check a valid ID and sell only to buyers 21 or older (25 TAC 300.701), and a Minnesota retailer of lower-potency hemp edibles, including a liquor store or bar with an OCM license, must confirm the buyer is at least 21 (342.46, subd. 3).