Medical marijuana patients are getting evicted in legal states

An activist organization which successfully worked to legalize marijuana in the District of Columbia is holding demonstrations and free cannabis giveaways in the nation’s capitol on April 2 and 3.

DCMJ—”a community for cannabis users, growers, and their families”—is holding what they’re calling “Bring It Home” demonstrations to protest policies that prevent patients from possessing and consuming cannabis where they live. In accordance with Washington, D.C. law, which doesn’t permit the sale of cannabis but allows the gifting of it, the group is also handing out seeds and bud from Cofounder Adam Eidinger’s own garden.

“The federal government is decimating the rights of U.S. veterans, students, the disabled, and our nation’s economically struggling,” Eidinger said. “The home should be a safe place, where you can make decisions to improve your quality of life.”

According to the group, even when veterans, the disabled, low-income residents, and on-campus students live in locations where cannabis is legal, many are prevented from having marijuana in their housing. This is largely due to the federal prohibition of cannabis.

The first demonstration, on April 2, took place at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to protest policies that prevent low-income residents from “bringing home” medical marijuana. HUD’s controversial “one strike” regulation, CFR 966.4, empowers local public housing authorities to terminate a resident’s tenancy “for any criminal activity that threatens the health, safety, or quiet enjoyment of the PHAs … premises … or (B) any substance-related criminal activity on or near the premises.” Far beyond evicting individuals from housing for their own actions, it creates a cause for eviction where a “tenant, any member of the household, a guest, or another person under the tenant’s control” engages in “criminal activity.”

The protest on April 3 is taking place at the Department of Veterans Affairs which continues to prevent veterans who served in the U.S. military from receiving medical marijuana recommendations from their doctors at the V.A. Veterans can also be penalized for possessing cannabis at a VA hospital, even in states where cannabis is legal.

The final demonstration will be a digital one for college students across the country. At many universities, students on college campuses can’t consume medical marijuana in their dorms, even if they need it. Additionally, students who have already paid for the calendar year’s housing can be kicked off campus and not refunded if they’re caught with cannabis. The online Tweet Storm will begin at noon Eastern time (9 a.m. Pacific) on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, and will last until 5 p.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Pacific).

For more information on these demonstrations and giveaways, visit DCMJ’s website.