Five state legislatures—New Hampshire, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and New York—legalize medical cannabis in 2013–2014

On July 5, 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Compassionate Care Act (A.6357E / S.7923) into law, capping a 12-month stretch in which five state legislatures—New Hampshire, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, and New York—enacted statewide medical cannabis programs.

The 2013–2014 legislative medical cannabis timeline

• New Hampshire (July 23, 2013): Governor Maggie Hassan signed HB 573, establishing New Hampshire’s Therapeutic Cannabis Program and licensing state-regulated Alternative Treatment Centers (leaving New Hampshire as the only New England state that, through 2026, has legalized medical cannabis and decriminalized possession without yet enacting adult-use legalization).
• Illinois (August 1, 2013): Governor Pat Quinn signed HB 1, creating a tightly regulated medical cannabis pilot program that laid the licensing and testing foundation for Illinois’s 2019 adult-use legalization.
• Maryland (April 14, 2014): Governor Martin O’Malley signed HB 881 (establishing the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Cannabis Commission) alongside a companion bill decriminalizing possession of up to 10 grams.
• Minnesota (May 29, 2014): Governor Mark Dayton signed SF 2470, initially authorizing non-smokable medical cannabis extracts, pills, and liquids before Minnesota later added raw medical flower in 2021 and full adult use in 2023.
• New York (July 5, 2014): New York’s Compassionate Care Act made New York the 23rd medical cannabis state, initially authorizing non-smokable medical preparations before the state expanded the program and enacted the MRTA in 2021.