Marijuana Law at AILA Conference

This week, I’m working on final drafts of an article that will be presented at the AILA National Conference in Washington, DC in June. The article and the June presentation discusses how, and if, non-US citizens in the US can exercise their state rights to use marijuana medically and, in Colorado and Washington, recreationally. This is a fascinating example of conflict of laws that has drastic, if not devastating, effects on immigrants who choose to use state-legal marijuana.

Any non-US citizen immigrant should think carefully before using marijuana in states where it is legal. Remember that state-legal marijuana is still illegal under federal law. Violations of federal drug laws can result in loss of immigration status, revocation of US visas, removal from the US, and denial of applications for adjustment of status (green cards) and citizenship.