II. Places of deaths, most effective prescription drug comparison between states. Prescription drug abuse became an issue in every state in the U.S., However, there are some states that have less number of deaths than others for not legalizing the types of drugs that the others states legalize, and abusers can be arrested for using non-medical drugs. Since the medical marijuana movement began, 23 states and the District of Columbia, starting with California in 1996, have legalized medical cannabis. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—as