Federal officials issued a warning this week that marijuana users are still prohibited from buying or carrying firearms under a decades-old federal prohibition, even though more and more states are moving to legalize the recreational use of the substance, as CBS News reported.
The Danger of Combining Cannabis and Firearms
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has issued a warning stating that until marijuana is authorized on a federal level, anyone who uses it cannot ship, transfer, receive, or possess weapons and ammunition.
Democrat Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a bill last week legalizing recreational marijuana use into law, prompting the ATF to issue the warning on Tuesday, May 30.
Notably, the ATF was established in 1972 to prevent criminal gun usage and to regulate the distribution and transit of weapons.
The office of ATF's St. Paul, Minnesota area, issued a statement on Tuesday saying that regardless of the most recent modifications in Minnesota law, it would still be illegal for those who are using or addicted to marijuana to possess, transport, or transact firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968.
Criminals, fugitives, and anyone who was labeled an "unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance" were all excluded from purchasing guns under that law. Cannabis is still considered a controlled substance under federal law despite its usage being legalized or decriminalized in several states.
In order to purchase a firearm, applicants must disclose whether or not they regularly use marijuana on ATF paperwork.
Jeff Reed, a top ATF officer in St. Paul, warned that until marijuana is legalized nationally, gun owners and possessors should be aware that it is still unlawful to mix marijuana with weapons or ammunition.
Some States Have Legalized Cannabis for Medical and Recreational Use
Over the last several decades, states have worked to legalize cannabis usage for both medicinal and recreational reasons, as public opinion in favor of decriminalizing cannabis has grown.
According to studies commissioned by Congress, more than 20 states have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, while another 37 have done so for medicinal reasons.
President Joe Biden has spoken out against mandatory minimum punishments for cannabis possession and has called the government's treatment of the substance a failed policy. Yet, notably, he has stopped short of asking for a total federal legalization of marijuana.
Biden pardoned all federal marijuana possession charges in a blanket move in October 2022. He also requested that the government investigate whether or not marijuana should retain its status as a "schedule I" restricted drug, alongside heroin and lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD.
