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By Dennis Romero
At the beginning of the 4/20 weekend, federal officials issued new guidelines for US citizens: working in the cannabis industry, even in states where the drug was legalized, could constitute a ground for rejection during the naturalization process.
Observers have estimated that the relocation of the 4/20, unofficial party of cannabis lovers, was a hurdle put in place by the Trump government for newcomers rather than an impediment to the nascent marijuana sector in more of 30 states that have legalized a form of drug. .
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services released the new directive in a statement Friday.
"The general instructions (…) specify that an applicant who participates in certain activities related to marijuana may not have a good moral character if it is established that he has violated federal law, even whether this activity has been decriminalized under the applicable laws of the state, "said the agency, branch of the Ministry of Homeland Security, said.
The fine print of the guidelines indicates that participation in the cannabis industry "continues to be a conditional barrier to GMC [good moral character] eligibility for naturalization, even if this activity is not considered a criminal offense by the law of the State. "
"Possession of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes or employment in the cannabis industry may be behavior" that would prohibit naturalization, says the guidance document.
"I do not think it's marijuana at all," said Michael Collins, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. "I think they use the war on drugs to attack the migrant community and that's what they've been doing since day one."
Collins compared policy directions, first reported by Marijuana Moment, at the insistence of President Donald Trump on a wall between the United States and Mexico, which, according to the president, would prevent drug trafficking in the United States. the country.
"This administration has used the war on drugs to persecute the migrant community, ranging from building the wall to tracking migrants for petty drug offenses," said Collins.
Earlier this month, Colorado lawyers representing two immigrants working in the legal marijuana industry accused the Trump administration of blocking the naturalization of the pair.
We do not yet know how strict the authorities will be. NBC News contacted USCIS but received no response.
"The Department of Homeland Security sees this as another excuse for deporting people," Collins said. "To solve this problem, you really need to remove the federal government's marijuana policy."
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