Over 8 million people in the US hold a medical marijuana card

[pdq]

How many of them have committed the felony of simultaneously owning a gun?

It is illegal under federal law to own a gun if you have a medical marijuana card in the United States, regardless of whether the use of medical or recreational marijuana has been legalized in your state.

The use of small amounts of medical marijuana is legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Pew Research Center and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), an advocacy group that tracks state-level legislation on the issue.

… Regardless of state marijuana laws, it is still against federal law to own a gun and use medical or recreational marijuana, according to a notice issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in May 2023.

Of note, the state with the greatest number of medical marijuana users?

New York? California? Illinois? Oregon?

Nope. Florida. And it’s not even that close.

(Highest rate of medical marijuana card holders per population? Oklahoma (and Maine)).

Highest number of guns owned by state? Texas takes number one. But Florida is number 2.

Does it make sense that a whole bunch of Floridians should be felons? No. (or at least, not in this case!)

But the law is the law, right?

[graylocks]

New York? California? Illinois? Oregon?

I wouldn't expect the number of medical marijuana users to be high in any of those states. Cannabis is legal in all of them so why bother getting a permit.

[Ombligo]

I would love to see a Venn diagram of The Villages showing Marijuana, Guns, and Loofahs. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just concentric circles.

[RgrF]

Medical cards, a leftover remnant from a bygone era, could nevertheless be used in a prosecution - on the other hand given our myriad overlapping system of laws, almost everything is prosecutable at some level.

[hal]

graylocks wrote:
New York? California? Illinois? Oregon?

I wouldn't expect the number of medical marijuana users to be high in any of those states. Cannabis is legal in all of them so why bother getting a permit.

In CA, you can't buy more than 1oz unless you have a card. I don't know of any other benefit of having a card. It's not surprising that there aren't many in CA.

[pdq]

hal wrote:
[quote=graylocks]
New York? California? Illinois? Oregon?

I wouldn't expect the number of medical marijuana users to be high in any of those states. Cannabis is legal in all of them so why bother getting a permit.

In CA, you can't buy more than 1oz unless you have a card. I don't know of any other benefit of having a card. It's not surprising that there aren't many in CA.
Only an ounce?



Nevertheless, I think my point is being missed here: how many thousands of Hunter Bidens are out there? How many get special prosecutors? How many go to trial?

And before anyone goes there, prosecutions for filing false business records are not that uncommon.

[Speedy]

No, I think we all got your point.

[Black]

hal wrote:
[quote=graylocks]
New York? California? Illinois? Oregon?

I wouldn't expect the number of medical marijuana users to be high in any of those states. Cannabis is legal in all of them so why bother getting a permit.

In CA, you can't buy more than 1oz unless you have a card. I don't know of any other benefit of having a card. It's not surprising that there aren't many in CA. In Illinois it entitles you to grow, and also saves a heap of taxes at the dispensary.

[davester]

I would much rather have marijuana users be allowed to have a gun than pretty much any other group of people.

[pdq]

davester wrote:
I would much rather have marijuana users be allowed to have a gun than pretty much any other group of people.

I agree.

But “the law is the law”, right?