CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The Chicago Housing Authority is not saying it’s okay to use marijuana in any of its 63,000 apartments, but it is tweaking its marijuana policy.
The CHA warned residents a few months ago they could be evicted for using marijuana in their apartments, even though recreational and medical marijuana is legal in Illinois.
The CHA is federally-funded and marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, but CHA chief executive officer James Bebley said HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Development) is not going to be “dispatching marijuana police” to people’s units.
“We anticipate that this policy is treated the same way as the smoking policy is treated," he said.
At the urging of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the CHA board has decided to evaluate each marijuana complaint on a case-by-case basis. It will take into account, for instance, whether it’s fair to evict an entire family, because one person used marijuana.
“What you’re doing in your apartment by yourself that does not disturb the peaceful enjoyment of your neighbors, we don’t intend for that to ever come to our attention," Bebley said.
But CHA Cmsr. Debra Parker reminds residents that it remains illegal for them to use marijuana in their units and could result in an eviction.