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Cannabis is legal for adults 21 and older to use and possess in Minnesota. However, it is still illegal under federal law and legal experts say the distinction is important for immigrants who are not yet U.S. citizens.
Julia Decker, policy director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, said that’s an important distinction for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen — even if they have a green card or other types of legal immigration status.
“Cannabis is still a federally controlled substance, which means you could still face immigration consequences for any type of activity or possession of cannabis, even though it’s legal in Minnesota under Minnesota state law,” Decker said.
Decker says those consequences could include deportation. She said what makes this complex is that someone in Minnesota may possess a small amount of marijuana for personal use and not receive a criminal conviction under the new law.
“However, there are some immigration applications which ask, ‘have you ever committed a criminal act for which you were not charged or convicted?’ And of course, those are applications under which somebody is swearing under penalty of perjury or under some sort of oath that they are telling the truth,” Decker said.
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