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Since 2014, medical marijuana laws in the United States have been protected from federal government interference by very little. The only thing really standing in the way is a spending bill that is renewed annually, in which Congress has continuously included a provision that prevents the Department of Justice (DOJ) from prosecuting medical marijuana businesses and patients operating within state laws. Earlier this year, a version of the spending bill included a provision that included both the medical and recreational markets – but it was revised before being finalized, once again only covering state-legal medical marijuana. 

Not for the first time, President Trump signed the spending bill – but made sure to include a signing statement basically saying that he has the right to ignore that provision, whether congress approved it or not. Trump has been back and forth about his support for legalization, making statements like the one below, while also claiming to support states’ rights to legalize. 

“Division B, section 531 of the Act provides that the Department of Justice may not use any funds made available under this Act to prevent implementation of medical marijuana laws by various States and territories,” Trump wrote in a signing statement. “My Administration will treat this provision consistent with the President’s constitutional responsibility to faithfully execute the laws of the United States.”

Along with protections to the state-legal marijuana industries, the year’s spending bill also included provisions specifically regarding hemp and CBD. 

One provision requires the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide a report on the barriers to researching medical marijuana and other Schedule I drugs, while another wants the National Institutes of Health to invest in studying the medicinal effects of cannabidiol and cannabigerol. Yet another provision wants to see the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to put at least $1 million into grants to determine if CBD and kratom could be safer alternatives to opioids. 

Congress made sure to cover a lot of bases this time around, also including $2 million to be allocated to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop regulations for hemp-derived CBD. This should include “research, policy evaluation, market surveillance, issuance of an enforcement discretion policy, and appropriate regulatory activities with respect to products under the jurisdiction of the FDA which contain CBD and meet the definition of hemp.” An initial report is expected within 60 days, while a study of the current CBD marketplace is due back in 180 days. 

Overall, there was a lot of good that happened in this federal spending bill for the cannabis industry – even if protections for state-legal recreational markets, banking access for cannabis businesses and greater accessibility for veterans didn’t make it through.

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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Veterans are awarded several government benefits provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). From healthcare to home loans, these things are rights earned by everyone who has served our country – unless you affiliate with marijuana in any way. Since the first states began legalizing medical marijuana back in the 90s, veterans have been fighting their own war to access the healing plant. Vets can be denied their VA benefits for opting to medicate with medical marijuana – and they must obtain it from state-licensed marijuana doctors on their own dime rather than being able to get a recommendation from their VA doctors. 

Vets have even been denied VA Housing Loans (a loan that finances 100% of the home price with no down payment requirement) simply for working in the cannabis industry. Many veterans find employment as security for the cannabis industry, which requires higher than average security not only because of the product itself, but because of the cash-only nature the industry is currently forced into. 

“Our nation’s views on marijuana use are changing, and the services have changed their recruitment process accordingly,” Representative Ruben Gallego said. “The services can, where appropriate, grant waivers to former users of marijuana who want to serve their country in uniform.”

The House has introduced multiple amendments in various pieces of legislation attempting to protect veterans from being denied their VA benefits, but few marijuana-related amendments have made it through the House and Senate negotiations. 

This past summer, the House passed their draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and in it, they included an amendment that would have protected veterans from being denied VA loans, despite their employment in the legal cannabis industry. In the same bill, they also included an amendment to allow military branches to grant reenlistment waivers to those who have been dismissed after committing a single low-level marijuana offense. 

Unfortunately, in the negotiations, these amendments were apparently deemed not as important as some others – and got mixed up with the nearly 1200 changes (roughly 600 to both the House and Senate versions of the bill) that were made before the bill was passed. 

It’s disappointing that the rights of veterans can be pushed aside for other changes – even more so that both sides don’t deem it important enough to include in the first place. With so much changing in the way the public views marijuana – and clear changes in Congress as well, based on some of the legislature that has been considered this year – it seems protections for those that served our country would be higher on the priority list. 

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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Federal cannabis law is consistently preventing progress in the movement – especially when it comes to providing patients with better access to medical marijuana for a variety of ailments. While forty-seven of the fifty states in the U.S. and our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., have made the move to legalize medical marijuana in some capacity, the government continues to stand in the way of research that would benefit patients and their doctors. Even after jumping through hoops to gain federal approval for medical marijuana research, the product available is subpar and there simply isn’t enough of it. 

Recently a group of bipartisan lawmakers, led by Representative Harley Rouda and Senator Brian Schatz, sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting that researchers be allowed to access state-legal marijuana to help put an end to at least one barrier to research. 

The letter points out that while the DEA has plans to provide better quality cannabis at a higher volume, their call for applications still hasn’t produced any results three years later. It also mentions that both the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have suggested allowing access to state-legal cannabis in the past. 

“There is a need for a greater diversity of cannabis products so that research on benefits and risks reflects the realities of what consumers and patients are using. NIH and FDA have strongly recommended streamlining the process for conducting research and product development activities with cannabis and other Schedule I substances, and that the DEA take action to assure that interpretations of processes and policies are universally applied in local DEA jurisdictions.”

At every turn, “needing more research” is still the biggest argument that prohibitionists have against legalization. Though there are thousands of studies out, many are anecdotal or small-scale studies. For larger studies and clinical trials to proceed under federal approval or with federal funds, you would think access to the medicine people are already using would be ideal. 

“Our nation’s cannabis research laws are archaic,” Rouda said in a press release. “Forty-seven states have legalized some form of cannabis consumption—we must ensure our federal agencies and other licensed institutions can comprehensively study the benefits and risks of cannabis products.”

Along with recommending that the DEA amend policies to allow researchers with Schedule I licenses to obtain cannabis products from state sanctioned dispensaries to conduct research, lawmakers also noted laws surrounding hemp research should be clarified. After all, hemp was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, therefore researchers should no longer be required to obtain a DEA license to conduct research on hemp. 

Whether the DEA will seriously consider this letter and actually amend their policies and finally ensure that researchers can conduct the necessary research, we will have to wait and see. In the past, the DEA has been slow to respond to concerns regarding cannabis and have neglected to make any major changes. All we can do is hope that they will see that what these lawmakers are looking for is common sense.

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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It appears that medical marijuana in Missouri was wanted and needed more than some had anticipated. The state has already issued a total of 21,879 medical marijuana ID cards since they started on July 4^th of this year. Researchers from the University of Missouri didn’t expect to see anywhere close to this number until 2021 – estimating that by then, the state might reach 22,500 registered patients. Now, according to an estimate provided by the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, it appears that there could be more than 122,000 registered patients by the end of 2022. 

“We have always predicted that the numbers would be far larger than the MU Economics study predicted,” said Dan Viets, who leads the Missouri Cannabis Industry Association.

Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association, says that their estimate is based on trends in states like Colorado, where 2-3 percent of the population received medical marijuana cards after legalization. The study published by the University of Missouri’s Economic and Policy Analysis Research Center instead used data from 2015 that was compiled from a total of 19 different states that had legalized medical marijuana around that time. 

“They made the mistake of assuming that all medical marijuana programs are equal,” Viets explained. 

The original study determined that the state was preparing to produce far more medical marijuana than their population would need. However, that was based on estimates that expected far fewer people to sign up for access to medical marijuana. The state is expected to license a total of 60 commercial growers, 86 manufacturing and processing facilities, and 192 dispensaries. 

Initially, it was assumed this would be more than was needed for the first three to five years – but now it seems like those who wrote the bill anticipated the current amount of participation. It was also intended to create more competition between businesses to keep prices affordable, while also ensuring that patients all over the state would have relatively easy access to a much-needed medicine. 

Thousands of Missourians are now awaiting these business licenses to be awarded, which is expected to start in January. Right now, over 700 different groups have filed a total of 2,163 applications for a total of 338 licenses. 

The most important thing is that thousands of patients should have legal access to medical marijuana by late spring 2020, only two short years after voters legalized it.

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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Three years after voters legalized the plant for adult use, things are finally picking up for the cannabis industry in Maine. With the application set to go live from the state Office of Marijuana Policy on December 5^th, many companies are already doing what they can to get prepared. As with any state to legalize marijuana, there are plenty of hoops for these businesses to jump through in order to obtain a license to grow, process or sell marijuana. If all goes as expected, the first sales are expected to happen mid-March 2020. 

“The Maine cannabis industry has been waiting over three years for Dec. 5, and of course there will be a race to be the first operator to ring in an adult-use sale,” said Wellness CEO Patricia Rosi. “We have been revving up our engines waiting for the flag to drop and get the green light to start working.”

However, any business that plans to submit their application needs to be prepared for a lengthy application process. At first, businesses will only be issued a conditional license. Then, they must obtain approval on a local level – which is often a more detailed process on its own – before their conditional license can be switched to an active one, allowing them to legally operate. 

To get a conditional license, the applicant will need to prove that most of the key people involved (owners, investors, etc.) are local to the state of Maine. These individuals must also have obtained identification cards that will be required of all marijuana business owners, executives and employees. Getting the ID requires going through a background check – and as of right now, the Office of Marijuana Policy’s licensing division, which is an 8-person team, has only just started processing forms and won’t begin to issue the IDs until Thursday. 

“I don’t have any clients who will be ready to go on that date. That may also slow down the race for licenses. I hope that people are using lawyers and accountants, because even though these are marijuana businesses, they are really compliance businesses.”

Obtaining a conditional license is going to be challenging, but some companies are getting a head start by getting their local approval ahead of time. South Portland has already granted land-use approvals for some businesses, including Curaleaf and Theory. Similarly, the town of Poland held their lottery for licenses back in July. Since only three growers and five retailers applied for one of 10 licenses available for both cultivation and retail businesses, all of them were approved. 

It’s been extremely slow moving so far, but Maine is finally on the way to having their adult-use cannabis market up and running. Though it’s unlikely anyone will get through all the forms in as little as a day, if business owners are ready for the mountains of paperwork, conditional and active businesses licenses could be issued before the end of the year.

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Former Vice President and 2020 Democratic hopeful Joe Biden might have significantly hurt his campaign over the last week with comments about marijuana being a gateway drug. At this point, that theory has been dispelled more than a dozen times over. In fact, nicotine and alcohol might be more likely to lead to harder drug use than cannabis. 

However, that didn’t stop Biden – like many others – from using the gateway theory as a reason to hold off on cannabis legalization. 

“The truth of the matter is, there’s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug,” Biden said, according to Business Insider. “It’s a debate, and I want a lot more before I legalize it nationally. I want to make sure we know a lot more about the science behind it.”

Instead, he plans to reschedule to plant to schedule II (to allow more access for research), as well as decriminalize possession of the plant. He would also like to see those with criminal records related to marijuana possession have their records cleared. This plan is rather conservative compared to other Democratic candidates, all of who appear to be on board for outright legalization. 

However, after a week of being hounded with evidence showing that cannabis is not a gateway drug, Biden claims he never said that. Instead, he maintains that he had said that “some say” that cannabis is a gateway drug, not that he believes it to be.  

“I don’t think it is a gateway drug,” Biden said on a conference call, according to CBS News. “There’s no evidence I’ve seen to suggest that.”

Biden continues to note that he is in full support of marijuana decriminalization, as well as access to medical marijuana. His lack of support for legalization  – no matter what the reason – could make a big impact on his campaign, when other candidates with similar goals are in favor of legalization. 

With the overwhelming evidence in recent years suggesting that not only is cannabis not a gateway drug, but that perhaps it could even help people fighting drug addictions, it’s surprising that the gateway theory is even still brought up. The fact that it was brought up by a presidential candidate is disappointing – even if he attempted to retract it after a week of being called out on the falsehood of the “theory”. 

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One of the lessons that legalization has taught us again and again is to prepare for an influx of people buying legal cannabis. At least at first, anyway. In the U.S., we’ve seen many instances where dispensaries struggle to keep up with the demand of products for medical and recreational cannabis consumers. But, it appears our neighbors to the north have a problem we’ve seen far less often. Canada was preparing for a huge number of people to be buying legal cannabis – and producers got way ahead of themselves, growing more than the country needs for the year. 

“Canadian cannabis producers and extractors are sitting on a massive stash of unfinished inventory that is growing so quickly that some analysts are concerned it could precipitate a price crash in the burgeoning industry.”

One of the main goals of legalization is to end the illegal sale of cannabis – but that doesn’t appear to be happening as quickly as Canadians might have hoped. Recent surveys found that only 28 percent of cannabis users claim to purchase their products from government-licensed retailers. The remaining 72 percent – of more than 5 million Canadians age 15 and older – are still looking to illegal sources to buy their bud. This could be online or unlicensed dispensaries, or the same “guy” they’ve been buying from for years. 

What matters is the legal industry prepared for more than 5 million cannabis consumers, and now they are only getting a little more than a quarter of those as customers. Canopy Growth says they harvested 40,570 kg of cannabis, and Aurora Cannabis harvested 41,436 kg. Either of these companies are poised to be able to single-handedly meet the recreational cannabis needs of the entire country for the next year, according to data provided by the group Cannabis Benchmarks. 

However, the reason that so few people are purchasing their cannabis through legal channels could be impacted by many things, one of which could be the lack of access to dispensaries. For example, Ontario – the most populated province in the entire nation – only has 24 dispensaries open. As it stands, that is certainly not enough to be convenient to everyone, forcing many to go out of their way or find a different means to get their marijuana. 

There are a number of issues that will need to be worked out – no state or country that has chosen to end prohibition has been able to do so without at least a few hiccups. It’s going to take awhile for Canada’s legal cannabis supply to fix itself. But, in the meantime, there is a good chance the price of cannabis could significantly drop to help sell off the unintended oversupply.

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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With the legalization of medical or recreational marijuana, there often comes a number of questions left unanswered. One of those questions is whether people who are on probation should be allowed to medicate with medical marijuana or not. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled against a judge that attempted to require a probationer’s doctor to testify to their need to use medical marijuana. The court stated that unless the prosecution could prove that it would run counter to their sentencing, a medical marijuana card was more than enough evidence to allow an individual to continue to medicate.

This all started with an El Paso County court decision, which was initially upheld by a district court before the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. Alysha Walton pled guilty to a DUI in an El Paso court in 2017, and one of the conditions of her probation was to remain clean, including abstaining from medical marijuana – for which she was already a registered patient. Presenting her state-issued medical marijuana ID and supporting documents wasn’t enough for the El Paso court system, however, as Judge Karla Hansen wanted to hear it straight from her doctor.  

“Were we to wait for another case like this one to find its way to us with a defendant still serving her sentence, we might wait in vain,” Justice William W. Hood III wrote in the court’s decision. “DUI sentences are often shorter than the time necessary for appeal and certiorari review. Meanwhile, this important issue regarding a defendant’s legislative permission to use medical marijuana while on probation will persist in El Paso County and perhaps elsewhere throughout the State of Colorado.”

The Supreme Court determined that this was the wrong decision to uphold. In 2015, a law was passed to allow people on probation to use medical marijuana. According to the Supreme Court, that law put the burden of proof on the prosecution to provide solid evidence that using medical marijuana would go against the point of sentencing. In the case of Alysha Walton, that certainly wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, Walton already completed her probation while abstaining from medical marijuana. 

Regardless, the court decided to take up the issue anyway, to ensure that future medical marijuana patients aren’t forced to go without medication during their probation period. Next time a court attempts to keep a patient from using the medicine they have legal access to, they will need to keep this ruling in mind and ensure there is solid reasoning to prevent the individual from medicating with cannabis. Otherwise, patients in Colorado are safe to assume they are allowed to use medical marijuana during probation without consequence. 

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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After decades of fighting to end the War on Drugs, the United States Congress is finally taking their first real step in the direction of cannabis policy reform. While there have been protections put in place for states where the plant is legal, there has yet to be a move toward ending the federal prohibition of cannabis – until now. This week, the House Judiciary Committee will consider legislation that would remove cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances and address many of the hardships that have come as a result of its criminalization. 

The legislation, HR 3884, also known as the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, is going to be reviewed by the committee on Wednesday, November 20^th, and a vote the same day is very possible. It was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and now has 55 cosponsors, only one of which is a Republican. 

“Our marijuana laws disproportionately harm individuals and communities of color, leading to convictions that damage job prospects, access to housing, and the ability to vote.” Nadler said in a press release. 

Not only is this the first time that a piece of legislation to legalize cannabis is being taken seriously, it will also be the first time such legislation will be put to a vote. The MORE Act would also do a great deal to reverse the negative impacts of prohibition compared to other legalization bills that have been introduced in the past. 

But, there are many that believe the far-reaching legislation will fall flat – especially considering that more conservative options that have focused on states’ rights could have been passed and did not. 

“Recognizing this, many states have legalized marijuana. It’s now time for us to remove the criminal prohibitions against marijuana at the federal level. That’s why I introduced the MORE Act, legislation which would assist communities disproportionately impacted by the enforcement of these laws.” 

The bill would not only remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, but it would also provide a variety of programs to help those who have been affected the most. This would include job training and legal aid for those who were affected by the enforcement of prohibition, as well as loans for small businesses in the cannabis industry that are owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. It would also lower the barriers to licensing and employment in the newly legal industry. 

To top it all off, the MORE Act would also provide resentencing and even expungement for people with criminal records relating to cannabis – whether they are currently incarcerated or have prior convictions. It would also shield immigrants from being denied citizenship for reasons pertaining to cannabis. 

Overall, the legislation looks to provide a major overhaul of federal laws pertaining to cannabis. It would certainly change the landscape for the many industry-related problems that come from state and federal law conflict. But, it also aims to help those who have been harmed by prohibition. Though it might not make it past the first votes – and there is plenty of time for this bill to be amended and revised – it is a huge step forward for the U.S. government, who hasn’t budged on cannabis policy over the years, regardless of the many individual states doing so anyway.

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Julia Granowicz, KahliBuds, 420GrowLife

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Since legalizing cannabis, Nevada has been mulling over the idea of cannabis lounges – a necessity in a state with as much tourism as they get. Unfortunately, Governor Steve Sisolak decided earlier this year that they should hold off on legislation to allow such businesses until 2021. Regardless, the state is now home to one of the first cannabis lounges, as the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe decided to jump into this space and open the lounge on their own sovereign land. 

“We decided to move the industry along and be pioneers,” says Benny Tso, a former chairman of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and current tribal council member told the Las Vegas Sun.

The NuWu Cannabis Marketplace is both owned and operated by the tribe – and since it’s on land that is self-regulated and not governed by existing state laws and taxes, they added a tasting room. The nearly 16,000 square foot dispensary now offers their patrons the option to try their products before buying them. 

The tasting room is full of couches and big screen TVs. There are waiters and bartenders on sight, lighting dab rigs and providing pre-rolled joints or flower and even serving up THC-infused beer patrons of the establishment. People are monitored as they consume their cannabis, and if need be, they are cut off or taxis or ride share services are called so they don’t drive home, just like any bar that serves alcohol. 

“Within a year and half this is going to compete with our other businesses,” Tso said of NuWu Cannabis Marketplace. “I think we’ve prolonged our tribe by three to four more generations.”

Las Vegas is already home to the biggest dispensary in the U.S., Planet 13, which offers 112,000 square feet of marijuana and entertainment for locals and visitors alike. However, the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace is fair competition, offering a drive-thru option as well as the tasting room that not only provides a chance to try products before buying them, but also gives tourists at least one place they can consume cannabis legally. 

The need for cannabis cafes, lounges or similar spaces has been clear since Colorado and Washington first legalized cannabis in 2012. This is something that isn’t going away and hasn’t changed much in the last few years – but perhaps the slow roll-out of social consumption spaces like the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace tasting room will help legislators see that this can be done safely and responsibly, and it really is something that should happen hand-in-hand with legalization. 

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An article recently published by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that cannabis use was increasing among college-age adults, while tobacco use was decreasing. The study used information provided by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the years 2002-2016 and looked specifically at the 18-22 year-old age group. The survey originally asked questions pertaining to cannabis and tobacco use in the past 30 days and the past 12 months. The study even breaks down the comparison between college students, and adults of the same age not attending college. 

In 2016, over half (51.6 percent) of non-college and almost half (46.8 percent) of college young adults reported using either marijuana or tobacco in the past year. Looking at exclusively marijuana use, this was higher among college students (11.5 percent compared to 8.6 percent in the past 30 days and 14.6 percent compared to 10.8 percent). This suggests that young adults not enrolled in college are more likely to smoke both tobacco and cannabis than their college-enrolled counterparts. 

Over the last 14 years, college students who reported only using marijuana has increased by 8 percent, while non-college young adults saw an increase of about half of that, at 4 percent. 

Comparatively, non-college individuals were more likely than college students to have used tobacco at all. However, there has still been a significant decrease in exclusive tobacco use, with the number of college students who exclusively used tobacco in the last 30 days dropping from 23.5 percent to 4 percent over the years.

When it comes to smoking tobacco, 17.7 percent of non-college students and 10.4 percent of college students claimed to have smoked tobacco in the last 30 days. For the past year, the numbers were similar at 17.4 percent for non-college young adults and 12.2 for those enrolled in classes. 

The decline in tobacco use is a positive sign, especially considering the years of evidence of the harmful effects of smoking tobacco. With it being well-known that tobacco causes cancer and increases the risk of stroke and heart attack, as well as the increase in tobacco-free campuses and clean-air laws, the decline in tobacco use has been not only steady, but expected. 

However, legalization of cannabis and the changing attitudes toward marijuana use in the last few decades are clearly impacting the number of people open to trying – and enjoying – the plant. Thirty percent of young adults still believe that frequent marijuana use can be harmful – but that is the lowest that number has been since 1980. Again, not necessarily surprising, but a change that has been a long time coming. 

Overall, this is a positive thing; more people using marijuana isn’t a bad thing. Many might be choosing cannabis over something more harmful, like alcohol or hard drugs. Others might be using it medicinally to handle the stresses of college and life. All this data shows is that more people than ever are open to trying cannabis – and are turning away from harmful substances like tobacco.

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Illinois recently made the bold decision to legalize cannabis – and they begin implementing the new law on January 1, 2020. With legalization right around the corner, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) decided it was time to remind all 63,000 households that marijuana is still illegal under federal law; therefore, it remains illegal in their homes as well. The notice sent to voucher recipients was specific – it is still grounds for termination if any tenant, household member or guest is found using or possessing marijuana. It doesn’t matter if it’s for medicinal or recreational purposes, it’s simply now allowed. 

Unfortunately, this is a familiar tune for anyone who lives in subsidized housing in a state that has already legalized marijuana. It’s even more familiar for the many medical marijuana patients who have either been forced to move or have become homeless because of their choice of medicine. The sad truth is that the conflict between federal law and state law when it comes to cannabis causes a lot of problems. Most often we see people talking about difficulties with banking access and use in public places, like hotel rooms and the like. 

However, one of the biggest groups of people affected that we don’t hear about often is those living in public or subsidized housing. Even with over half of the U.S. allowing medical marijuana and a handful of states that have legalized cannabis for adult use, the federal government still doesn’t seem to be backing down. That means for anyone with section 8 housing or any type of federally funded housing, medical marijuana use – or just marijuana use in general – is not permitted at home, the only place it’s often legal to consume it. 

“Marijuana is sometimes the only thing that ameliorates someone’s disability because they’re allergic to certain types of medication,” said Mary Rosenberg, a staff attorney with Access Living, a civil rights organization. “It’s unfair not to allow these folks to use it essentially because they’re poor and live in subsidized housing.”

There are many states looking at adding public consumption spaces – whether it be tasting rooms in a dispensary or a lounge or something similar. This would at least provide people a place where they can consume cannabis legally if they can’t do it at home. Of course, this doesn’t change the fact that these people are being denied a right that everyone else in the state has – and all because they can’t afford their rent without assistance. This is especially a problem for people with disabilities or debilitating conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana. 

For now, it doesn’t seem like this conflict is going to change much. The CHA doesn’t appear to be interested in changing their policies.

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