While cannabis continues to hold its place in the federal government’s Schedule I category, medical marijuana patients are relieved of Second Amendment rights nationwide because consumption of the plant is still considered a felony in the eyes of Uncle Sam, regardless of state law.
But with medical cannabis laws in place in over half of the country, the firearm issue is one that individual states are starting to address on their own.
Oklahoma senator Nathan Dahm [R] introduced a bill on Monday that would allow the state’s medical cannabis patients to purchase and own handguns.
Medical marijuana became legal in the state when the people passed Question 788 with a 56% vote in June of 2018.
Dahm’s bill, SB959, would prevent the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation from denying a handgun license to medical cannabis cardholders.
The bill would prohibit patients from carrying or using firearms while under the influence of marijuana or other substance with psychoactive or intoxicating effects.
SB959 also contains a list of offenses that disqualify medical cannabis patients from handgun ownership including an involuntary commitment for mental illness, recent inpatient treatment for substance abuse, violent crimes, and multiple convictions for intoxication-related misdemeanors.
If the bill becomes law, it will go into effect on November 1, 2019.
In January, lawmakers in Colorado introduced a bipartisan bill to allow cannabis users to own firearms and prohibit law enforcement from sharing a medical marijuana patient’s private information for weapon transfer background checks.
