Cannabis and Guns | Cannabis Life Network

Do cannabis and guns go well together? Nikki Fried, Florida’s only statewide Democrat and Agriculture Commissioner, believes so. She’s suing the Biden administration over a federal regulation that bans patients using medicinal cannabis from possessing concealed weapons.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) argues that the government’s “irrational, inconsistent and incoherent federal marijuana policy undermines Florida’s medical marijuana and firearms laws.”

In other words, Florida’s medicinal cannabis patients must choose between their freedom and their health. Something almost every medicinal cannabis community has experienced. Whether it’s the Canadian government trying to destroy private gardens or the Biden administration forcing patients to choose between cannabis and guns.

The ATF form

The ATF form given to prospective gun buyers asks if you are “an illegal user of marijuana or any other depressant, stimulant, narcotic, or other controlled substance” or are dependent on it. The form then reads, “Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under federal law, regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medical or recreational purposes in the state in which you reside.”

The ATF then bans cannabis and gun buyers who answer “yes.” The lawsuit argues this violates the Second Amendment.

“People in our country understand that someone should not be denied access to a firearm simply because they have chosen to use medicinal cannabis. This is, on the face of it, discriminatory against marijuana patients, and that needs to be changed at the federal level,” Fried said in an interview.

Nikki Fried is seeking the Democratic Party nomination. She wants to run against Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

Cannabis and guns in Florida

Fried says she didn’t want to attack the Biden administration during an election year, but lawsuits have their own timetable. “[It’s] been in the works for years,” says Fried. “I will stand up for people’s rights, no matter who is in the White House,” she said. “We have to move forward as a country. It certainly wasn’t my intention to sue another Democrat, but it’s something that needs to be moved.”

As for cannabis and guns…do they really go together? Here both Fried and Governor DeSantis agree. One should not lose one’s federal constitutional rights because of the laws of any state. In the US system, at least in theory, the federal government is subordinate to the states. When two laws are incompatible, like cannabis and guns, the local law takes precedence.

According to Fried, background checks denying medical cannabis patients the guns are making Florida unsafe. With their second amendment rights being violated, cannabis patients are more likely to turn to a private seller. Where background checks are less stringent or virtually non-existent.

While Fried and DeSantis disagree on cannabis, DeSantis appears to be supporting the lawsuit.