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Medical Marijuana and Social Security Disability
Posted by: Amy Eaton-Fitzpatrick
January 03, 2012
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing the use of marijuana for medical conditions, including the states of Colorado and New Mexico. In addition, six other states have pending legislation to legalize medical marijuana. However, marijuana remains illegal on the federal level, regardless of whether it is used for medical or recreational purposes. This is nowhere more apparent than in the recent crack down on marijuana dispensaries in California.
A lot of people think that because medical marijuana is legal in their state, the use of medical marijuana should have no impact on their social security claim. However, it does. Social security disability benefits are federal benefits. The award of social security disability benefits to an individual is made by a federal administrative law judge who administers federal laws. The use of medical marijuana complicates a social security disability case for a number of reasons. First,
