Federal Bill Would End Prohibition of Firearm Sales to Cannabis Consumers

U.S. Rep Brian Mast (R-FL) last week introduced a bill to end the prohibition of firearm sales to cannabis consumers in states that allow adult- and medical-use cannabis. Currently, federal law restricts the sale of guns or ammunition to anyone who is an “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance,” which includes cannabis. The Gun Rights and Marijuana (GRAM) Act creates a carve-out for cannabis for individuals who live in states or on tribal lands where cannabis use is legal.

“No one should be forced to choose between their rights: you have a right to bear arms, and in many states, you have a right to use cannabis. Congress needs to legislate based on reality, and the reality is that those who legally use marijuana are being treated as second-class citizens.  That’s not acceptable. Government exists to protect the rights of the people, and that’s what this bill does.”— Mast in a press release 

Mast said the issue is “of particular importance to the veteran community.”  

“No veteran that I know wants to be forced to choose between a viable treatment option for conditions like PTSD, and the ability to protect themselves and their families,” he said in a statement. “The GRAM Act is about ensuring no one has to make that choice.” 

Earlier this month, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ruled that the federal ban on cannabis consumers possessing firearms to be unconstitutional. In February, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that the federal ban on gun ownership for citizens who consume cannabis violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. That case is currently in the appeals process.

The GRAM Act carries no co-sponsors in the House and no companion measure in the Senate. It is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.