Department of Housing and Urban Development criticizes legal cannabis in public housing

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and was republished with permission.

Recently, a congresswoman sent a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, encouraging them to allow people to use public housing despite their cannabis use – especially in states where it is legal.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the congresswoman who sent the letter, hopes this would give people seeking public housing the freedom to consume a legal commodity in their state while still having protection from the elements. Unfortunately, HUD is Sec. Marcia Fudge, a Biden-appointed person, responded in a letter Norton published to the public.

Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

Unfortunately for people looking for public housing, it seems that the Biden administration is banking on “soup Nazis” on the whole cannabis affair, even though they claim they are gradually working on reforming cannabis laws.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development prohibits anyone who uses marijuana from living in assisted living facilities, even if it is medicinal cannabis.

The problem with this position is that it appears to directly contradict all of the alleged “promises” made by the Biden administration and appears to double the status quo. Of course, some people would say, “Well, it’s the law!” However, this is an excuse that will not go far in the current political climate.

There is no scientific evidence that cannabis has an impact on a consumer’s morale, and denial of assisted living based on use alone seems arbitrary at best. Nevertheless, let’s take a closer look at the letter published by Norton.

Understand the spirit of the letter

The HUD identified the following law as the reason they “can’t” obey;

“(1) Without prejudice to other statutory provisions, a public housing authority or a government-sponsored housing owner, as determined by the Secretary, sets standards that prohibit admission to the program or admission to government-subsidized housing for any household with a member –

1. whoever finds out by the public housing authority or the owner that he is illegally using a controlled substance. “

In other words, because cannabis is a federally banned drug, there is nothing they can do about it. They say that unless the law changes, they have no “discretion” to allow marijuana users, including those who use it for medicinal purposes.

US MP Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Photo by Joshua Roberts Pool / Getty Images

Norton expressed their disapproval of this answer by saying:

“Americans are constantly evolving marijuana use, and support is growing rapidly. This response shows even more why Congress should pass my bill allowing the use of marijuana in government-sponsored homes in accordance with state law. “

The activists are also disappointed that the federal government is relying on a seven-year-old law that is more of an orientation than a “rule”. Justin Strekel, NORML’s Political Director, said on the matter:

“It’s a farce that the Biden government is prioritizing the process over the people when it comes to a basic need like housing for those who use cannabis,” Justin Strekal, political director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “With millions and millions of registered medical marijuana patients across the country, including disproportionately large veterans, action must be taken to respect the dignity of our fellow citizens.”

The ban on substances from public housing is counterproductive

The idea behind the ban is to discourage people from using drugs. However, people who normally live on the streets suffer from one type of addiction or another. You can see that many people in California are dropping out of public housing just because of drug use and curfews.

RELATED: How To Use Marijuana In Public Housing With No Issues

People who suffer and live on the streets have a high chance of using illegal drugs. Whether it is dealing with the misery of street life or some form of self-medication, a social housing ban will not make them stop using drugs. It just makes life harder for them.

Now I know that some of you might be thinking, “Are we really going to pay for people who use drugs and live in public housing?” To which I would answer “YES”.

Photo by Karla Alexander via Unsplash

Whether someone uses drugs or not is irrelevant. Most of the people who live on the street are there for the following reasons:

• A series of unfortunate events
• Mental illness
• Lack of support from friends / family

I know because I traveled around California in a van for six months, hanging out with the homeless and meeting them. They don’t need to be “drug rescued” so much as they need a “leg-up”.

In Switzerland they had a problem with heroin a few years ago. Their solution was to provide free clinics where addicts could get their medication without any requirement. They could get public housing and were never asked to quit or get into any type of program.

Some thought that this would encourage people to use more drugs, but the truth is that it had the opposite effect. Fewer people started using heroin, and the average age of an addict rose to their mid-thirties. In other words, new addicts stopped showing up.

RELATED: Patients Must Choose: Medical Marijuana Or Government Housing Aid?

Why is this? Because most people who live on the street or are addicted to drugs need stability and meaning. They don’t need the government to tell them what to and cannot consume. If you give them the opportunity to choose a better life, nine out of ten people choose to prevail and make something of their life.

Why? Because people don’t “want” heroin; they do it because they are addicted and have no other choice.

Of course, weed isn’t heroin, but that’s what it’s about. Weed is so benign compared to the other drugs on the market that its denial of public housing is simply an explanation of how far along you really are in relation to modern society.

I’m trying to keep up my beatings on the Biden administration, but they’re pretty much digging their own grave right now. The Democrats seem to have lost touch with ordinary people in America.