States where medical marijuana is legal

• Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and Washington, DC.
• California, Arizona, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington were some of the first states to legalize medical marijuana.
•  Utah and Missouri voted to legalize medical marijuana in the 2018 midterm elections.
• The federal government doesn't recognize marijuana for its medicinal purposes and it's still illegal under federal law.

Medical marijuana is one of today's most pressing social issues.

Although recreational cannabis has been legalized in just 10 states and Washington, DC, patients can use marijuana medicinally in 33 states and Washington, DC. And that number is only expected to rise.

Here's how medical marijuana laws vary across the US.

Marijuana has technically been legal in Alaska since 1975.

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled in the 1975 case Ravin v. State that the state constitution's right to privacy protected the ability to use and possess a small amount (defined as less than four ounces, according to law professor Jason Brandeis) of marijuana at home for personal use.

Although there has been opposition to the law, the Washington Post reported in 2014 that courts in the Frontier State have generally upheld the idea that constitutional privacy protects those in Alaska who personally possess, use, or cultivate pot.

In 2015, Alaska officially decriminalized marijuana with the approval of Ballot Measure 2, which allows anyone in the state who is 21 and older "to possess, use, show, buy, transport, or grow set amounts" of it. However, the law bans people from using it in public.

Medical marijuana has been legal in Arizona since 2010.

Although Arizona first tried to legalize medical marijuana in 2002 with Proposition 203, legalization didn't pass until 2010, when a revised version of the measure was approved. The law grants qualifying patients 18 and older and their caregivers access to cannabis.

PotGuide.com reported that a special ID card enables patients and caregivers to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of pot every 14 days. They can also grow upwards of 12 plants.

The Arizona Department of Health Services oversees the regulation of medical marijuana in the state.

Arkansas approved a state medical marijuana amendment in 2016.

In 2016, Arkansas voters approved Issue 6, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment. The law gives patients 18 and older with certain qualifying conditions (such as fibromyalgia and Crohn's disease) the ability to obtain and consume medical marijuana with a doctor's permission. In addition, Issue 6 creates licenses for the state to operate cultivation facilities and dispensaries.

No dispensaries have opened yet, with the first ones slated to launch at the beginning of 2019, according to Weedmaps. They will be overseen by the Arkansas Department of Health's Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.