States that are Illegal to Grow that you thought they were Legal

Reviewed September 19, 2026. This older comparison needed a correction: adult-use sales and permission to cultivate at home are different questions. New York now permits adult home cultivation, while New Jersey still prohibits personal home growing.

NY: Adults aged 21 or older may cultivate for personal use, with a limit of three mature and three immature plants per person and six mature and six immature plants per household. Plants must be secured against access by people under 21, and growers must take reasonable steps to prevent odor from becoming a nuisance. Homegrown cannabis cannot be sold, traded or bartered. See the Office of Cannabis Management home-cultivation guidance. Its official home-cultivation FAQ (PDF) identifies June 26, 2024 as the adult-use start date; the old claim that residents must still wait for rules is obsolete.

NJ: Adults can buy recreational cannabis from licensed dispensaries, but that does not authorize a personal home grow. The Cannabis Regulatory Commission general FAQ says home cultivation is not permitted. The commission’s patient FAQ also confirms that current law does not authorize medicinal home cultivation. A medical cannabis card does not create a home-growing exception.

This is general information, not individualized advice. Check current state requirements and applicable property rules before growing; permission in one state does not apply in another.