Marijuana users are still prohibited from purchasing and possessing weapons under decades-old federal law, even as more and more states move to legalize the recreational use of the drug, and federal authorities Be warned this week.
Unless marijuana is legalized at the federal level, cannabis users will continue to be prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms and ammunition, as stated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or ATF, in notice.
The ATF, which oversees federal gun regulations, issued the recall Tuesday in response to Scale Signed into law this week by Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz that legalized recreational marijuana use in the state.
Created in 1972, the ATF’s responsibilities include stopping the illegal use of guns and regulating the sale and transfer of firearms.
In its statement Tuesday, the ATF’s office in St. Paul, Minnesota, said the possession, transportation, and dealings of guns will continue to be prohibited for those who use or are addicted to marijuana, “regardless of recent changes in Minnesota law,” because of the gun. Surveillance Act 1968.
This law prohibited individuals with certain criminal convictions, fugitives, and those deemed “illegal users or addicts of any controlled substance” from purchasing firearms. While many states have decriminalized and legalized cannabis use, marijuana remains an illegal “controlled substance” under federal law and regulations.
in Forms Under the ATF’s administration, potential gun buyers must determine if they use marijuana.
“Until marijuana is federally legalized, gun owners and owners need to keep in mind that it is still federally illegal to mix marijuana with firearms and ammunition,” said Jeff Reed, a senior ATF official in St. Paul.
Over the past decades, states have increasingly sought to legalize the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes amid Increase support Among Americans to Decriminalize Drugs.
More than 20 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, while 37 states have allowed individuals to use the drug for medical purposes, according to Congressional researchers.
While he has stopped short of calling for full federal decriminalization of marijuana, President Biden has denounced the government’s approach to the drug as “a failure” and opposed prison sentences for cannabis possession.
In October, Mr. Biden issued a mass pardon for individuals with federal convictions for mere possession of marijuana. He also instructed federal regulators to study whether marijuana should continue to be classified as an A “first schedule” Controlled substance, such as heroin and LSD.
Camilo Montoya Galvez
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