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Vermont SNF won't recognize legal marijuana

LTC Liability Monitor, September 22, 2005

A resident afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS) at Starr Farm Nursing Center in Burlington, VT, is logged in the state's medical marijuana registry, which allows him to smoke the substance legally. However, the SNF can't permit Shane Higgins to smoke marijuana on the premises because it receives federal funds, and the U.S. government does not recognize Vermont's medical pot laws, according to the Burlington Free Press.

Higgins said he was advised of his rights by a social worker when he filled out his registry card-the marijuana eases the pain caused by his MS and also stimulates his appetite. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that state laws don't protect users from federal prosecution.

For now, Higgins may not smoke at all at the SNF, but his case will be examined by the Montpelier-based Vermont Marijuana Policy Project and also the Vermont branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Free Press reported.

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