Hawaii police tell medical marijuana patients to turn in their guns

Medical marijuana patients in Hawaii are being forced to turn in their firearms as the use of federally controlled substances overrides the 2nd ammendment right to bare arms. The response to this revoking of legal firearms has been extremely negative with patients citing prescription drug users and those commiting domestic violence and sexual assaults are able to still legally own their guns. There is no good reason why non-violent and mentally stable patients are being looked at as potential criminals and loosing their 2nd amendment right to protect themselves. 

The stigmatization of marijuana patients is troubling, said Carl Bergquist, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii.

“The labeling of medical cannabis patients as a danger lumped under the category of ‘mental incompetence/impairment,’ with the assumption that all patients are impaired, is one that is not based on reality,” he said.

Chris Garth, executive director of the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance, added that HPD’s interpretation of the federal law is misguided.

“Medical cannabis is not a public safety issue, it’s a public health issue,” Garth said. “And to continue to criminalize medical cannabis patients is archaic and wildly inappropriate.”