Sponsors
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
The bill extends substantial protections for renters and voucher holders whose marijuana conduct is lawful under state or territorial law—reducing evictions and denials in federally assisted housing—but does so at the cost of increased administrative and legal complexity, possible conflicts with other federal requirements, uneven protections across jurisdictions, and potential secondhand smoke concerns.
Renters in federally assisted and public housing who legally use or possess marijuana under state law will no longer face eviction, denial of admission, termination of assistance, or ineligibility solely for that conduct.
Section 8 voucher holders and applicants in federally assisted housing gain protection from denial or termination tied to state-authorized marijuana activity, preserving access to housing assistance where state law permits use.
Public housing authorities, HUD, and other housing providers get clearer statutory guidance excluding state-legal marijuana from federal 'illegal use' definitions, reducing ambiguous enforcement and helping standardize admission/eviction decisions.
Renters in states (or territories) where marijuana remains illegal receive no new protections, producing uneven access to federally assisted housing and a patchwork of rights across the country.
Public housing agencies, owners, and HUD will face increased legal and administrative complexity determining whether conduct qualifies as lawful under differing state laws, raising compliance burdens and litigation risk.
Owners and recipients of federal housing funds could face conflicts with other federal requirements (e.g., federal drug‑free workplace or grant conditions), creating potential funding disputes or administrative risks.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress December 17, 2025
Changes federal housing rules so that marijuana conduct that is legal under a state’s laws cannot by itself be treated as "drug-related criminal activity" or "illegal use of a controlled substance" for federally assisted housing programs. It prevents public housing agencies and owners from denying admission, terminating assistance, evicting, or otherwise sanctioning tenants solely because they use, possess, sell, distribute, or manufacture marijuana when that conduct complies with the law of the state where it occurs, and it directs HUD to issue smoke-related regulations within 90 days to treat marijuana smoking like tobacco smoking in covered housing areas.