Legally, guns and medical marijuana don't mix

Legally, guns and medical marijuana don't mix

Published on 6/4/18

The right to own firearms is a hot topic for debate at the moment in the U.S. and while many believe that nothing should infringe on an American's 2nd Amendment right to own a gun, it turns out that having a medical marijuana card can and does disqualify your 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. The problem is that there are thousands and thousands of Americans out there who are medical marijuana patients who own firearms and have no idea that what they're doing is considered a felony. While a state may have legalized medical marijuana, the federal law remains that cannabis is illegal and cannot be possessed even in the presence of a legally purchased firearm. The penalty can be immediate jail time, yet many people have no idea this could happen to them. There are advocates who are pushing to secure American's rights to both bear arms as well as choose cannabis as a safe alternative treatment to certain ailments, but at the moment only a few states like Oregon have passed state laws to protect these people by allowing them to specifically own guns as a medical cannabis patient. 

"While it's been established, many people don't realize it and there are probably a lot of violators out there right now,” he said.

In an op-ed by the former president of the NRA, David Keene, he says that "the refusal of the federal government to accede to the judgment of the states on the issues has created problems for tens or even hundreds of thousands of gun owners who are being forced to either trade their Second Amendment rights for a chance to live pain free or risk prosecution or imprisonment."

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