Court Upholds Ban on Gun Sales to Marijuana Card Holders

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco released a new ruling stemming from a 2011 incident where a woman was turned away while trying to purchase a gun due to her medical marijuana license. While shop owners can turn customers away for suspicious activity, that was not the case this time. Due to marijuana's illegal status, the federal government has decided that any illegal drug use "raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated." But on the other hand, there is no check to see how much alcohol a customer consumes regularly, a legal drug which is commonly associated with gun violence. Medical marijuana patients are being stripped of their Second Amendmend rights for the sole reason of benefiting in some way from the plant, while those who earned a spot on the no-fly list for suspicious activity are still able to walk into any gun store and purchase any weapon of their choice. 

"We live in a world where having a medical marijuana card is enough to say you don't get a gun, but if you're on the no-fly list, your constitutional right is still protected," he said.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the idea that marijuana users were more prone to violence is a fallacy.

"Responsible adults who use cannabis in a manner that is compliant with the laws of their states ought to receive the same legal rights and protections as other citizens," he said