# What This Bill Does

This bill would change the rules for who can live in federally assisted housing—the apartments and homes that receive government funding to help low-income people afford rent. Right now, housing authorities can deny someone a place to live if they use marijuana, even if that use is completely legal under their state's laws. This bill would stop that practice and say that if you're using marijuana legally in your state, you can't be kicked out of or denied federally assisted housing because of it.

The bill applies to all the major federal housing programs, including public housing and Section 8 vouchers that help people pay rent. It also covers other federally funded housing programs. Essentially, it creates a "state law exception"—meaning that marijuana use legal in your state would no longer count as a reason to deny you housing or evict you from federally assisted housing. So if you live in a state where marijuana is legal and you use it legally, housing authorities couldn't use that against you.

There's one important catch: the bill still allows housing authorities to restrict where people can smoke marijuana, just like they currently restrict tobacco smoking. They'd have to treat marijuana smoking the same way they treat tobacco smoking—banning it in common areas and potentially in individual units. The bill also makes clear that this protection only applies to marijuana use that's legal under state law. If you're breaking your state's marijuana laws, you still wouldn't be protected.

This change would mainly affect people living in or trying to get into public housing or Section 8 programs in states where marijuana is legal. It removes a barrier that currently prevents some people from accessing affordable housing, even when they're following their state's laws.

Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2021

Norton, Eleanor Holmes

Marijuana in Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act of 2021 This bill specifies that (1) an individual may not be denied occupancy of federally assisted housing on the basis of using marijuana in compliance with state law, and (2) the Department of Housing and Urban Development&nbsp;may not prohibit or discourage the use of marijuana in federally assisted housing if such use is in compliance with state law.