Neil Young‘s application for US citizenship has been held up because he gave an honest answer about his marijuana use, the Canadian songwriter has revealed.
In a letter to fans posted on his website, Young said he had passed the citizenship test but had been called to take another “due to my use of marijuana and how some people who smoke it have a problem”.
An immigration policy proposed by Jeff Sessions during his tenure as attorney general and added in April 2019 stipulates: “An applicant who is involved in certain marijuana-related activities may lack GMC (Good Moral Character) if found to have violated federal law, even if such activity is not unlawful under applicable state of foreign laws.”
“I sincerely hope I have exhibited good moral character and will be able to vote my conscience on Donald J Trump and his fellow American candidates (as yet un-named),” Young wrote.
The artist, who has lived predominantly in the US since the late Sixties, told fans he wants to be a dual citizen so he can vote in the 2020 US presidential elections.
“I pay taxes down here; my beautiful family is all down here – they’re all Americans, so I want to register my opinion,” he told the Los Angeles Times in October.
“We’ve got a climate emergency, and governments are not acting.”
