Adult-use, medical, decriminalised, prohibited: what the labels mean

A label is a shortcut

Words like "legal" and "illegal" hide a lot. The labels below are common shorthand; the details always sit in the law itself.

Label	What it usually means	What it does not tell you
Adult-use	Adults of a stated age may buy, possess or use cannabis under licensed or regulated rules	Where use is allowed, how much you may hold, whether home growing is allowed
Medical-only	Cannabis is available through a defined medical route, with a recommendation or prescription	Which conditions qualify, which products, what the patient pays
Decriminalised	Small-scale possession is handled with civil penalties or diversion instead of criminal charges	It is not legalisation; supply usually remains an offence
CBD-only	Products with cannabidiol and little or no THC are allowed under defined limits	The limit, the product types, and whether the rule covers food
Prohibited	Possession and supply are offences	How strictly it is enforced, which is not the same as what the law says

Why labels drift

A jurisdiction can change status faster than a map is redrawn. Dated pages with a named source are more useful than any colour-coded summary.

Using a label well

• Use it to decide what to read next, not to decide what to do.
• Confirm with the regulator or the statute.
• Check the minimum age and the unit used for possession limits.