Officially: green card holders will be denied citizenship because of working with marijuana

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a guide explaining how the Federal Controlled Substance Act applies when making US citizenship decisions. Two actual cases of failure were previously known. Now this probability is confirmed officially.

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If you have a green card and you want to obtain US citizenship, it is better not only not to use marijuana, but also not to work in companies that are even minimally related to this industry. It doesn't matter if two years of your green card or twenty years - if you work where marijuana is involved in some way, you risk becoming stateless. This also applies to residents of those states where marijuana is legalized and decriminalized.

Before the official USCIS statement by the press at least two cases of such failures were recorded. At that time, lawyers warned immigrants about such precedents, but now the Immigration Service has confirmed fears.

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The new guide is that violations of the federal law on controlled substances, including violations related to marijuana, as a rule, are an obstacle to naturalization. Such violations become an obstacle to determining the positive moral character required to obtain United States citizenship, even if such behavior does not constitute a violation in accordance with state law.

The guidance also clarifies that an applicant who participates in certain actions related to marijuana may not demonstrate a positive moral character if it is determined that he violated federal law, even if such activity was decriminalized in accordance with the current state laws of the state.

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Since 1996, laws have been passed in some states and in the District of Columbia to decriminalize the manufacture, possession, distribution, and use of both medical and non-medical (recreational) marijuana in their respective jurisdictions.

However, US federal law classifies cannabis as a controlled substance included in Schedule I, the production of which (including planting, growing, cultivating, or harvesting), distributing, distributing, or storing can lead to consequences regarding immigration status.

Senior Lawyer at the Center for Immigration Law Resources, Kathy Brady, said legal immigrants reported similar denials in Colorado and the state of Washington, where marijuana is also legal. She advises US stateless people to look for work in other areas, unless federal law changes.

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The US Citizenship and Immigration Officer, Deborah Cannon, defended the waivers, noting that the agency must follow federal law when considering cases of applicants for citizenship.

Lawyers believe that companies should warn new employees about what their employment may be fraught with.

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