Can You Buy Marijuana Seeds Legally? It Depends On Where You Live

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While 2015 was a successful year for marijuana legalization in America, it's still not at a nationwide acceptance level. As a result, anyone looking to purchase marijuana seeds will toe the line with the potential legal ramifications. In some states, however, you'll probably be safe, and in others, it depends on what you use the seeds for. 

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According to Green Parrot Seeds, marijuana seeds can be purchased legally on their online store, but only if the seeds are being used as fishing bait additives or "luxury bird food." Conversely, using cannabis seeds for other means — namely, planting them in the ground for growing a strain — is subject to state laws. Currently, only four states have legalized marijuana for recreational use: Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Colorado. 

However, advocates in other states that have legalization in some form have promoted the purchase of marijuana seeds for growing plants. According to WTOP, the D.C. Cannabis Campaign — part of DCMJ, an organization that fights for equal rights for marijuana users in the nation's capital — organized a seed-sharing event a month after its marijuana legalization went into effect in February 2015. 

As part of the law, D.C. residents over the age of 21 were allowed to be given one ounce of seeds at the event, while residents can grow as many as three mature marijuana plants in their homes, according to WTOP. "I hope that from the seeds that we plant this week, this fall ... we have a great crop, and people are really generous in sharing, and we actually bring the price of underground marijuana down," Adam Eidinger, chair of the D.C. Cannabis Campaign, said, according to WTOP. 

In any case, it's imperative that would-be cannabis seed buyers look into local and state laws before purchasing the seeds, whether through a store in-person or online — no matter what the intended use is.