GOP Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana Patients In Pennsylvania To Own Guns

Pennsylvania state Senator Dan Laughlin took a significant step toward amending the Uniform Firearms Act to conform with the legalization of medical marijuana.

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Laughlin (R) introduced the previously announced Senate Bill 1146 on 2nd Amendment Day, a public awareness day of people’s right to bear arms, which is observed on April 17.

Even though the use of medical marijuana for specific conditions is considered legal in Pennsylvania, possessing a firearm is illegal at the federal level for those who admit to consuming cannabis.

“My legislation will make sure a valid medical marijuana cardholder is no longer considered an unlawful marijuana user,” Laughlin said in a memo. “Although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, we should be updating Pennsylvania’s laws to ensure valid medical marijuana cardholders are not denied their rights.”

Senate Bill 1146 builds on Pennsylvania’s Uniform Firearms Act under which a concealed carry license “shall not be issued to… an individual who is addicted to or is an unlawful user of marijuana,” by adding that this doesn’t “include an individual who holds a valid identification card issued” under the state’s medical marijuana act.

The latest legislative effort follows a legal action from Pennsylvania District Attorney Robert Greene against the federal government. Greene and a group of gun rights advocates filed a civil lawsuit in federal court in January challenging the federal ban preventing medical marijuana patients from buying and possessing firearms.

Interestingly, the years-long discussion around guns and medical cannabis is heating up simultaneously with the contentious 2024 presidential race. Former President Donald Trump recently pledged to NRA members, that under his presidency, “no one will lay a finger on your firearms.”

Sen. Fetterman On ‘Stupidity Of Not Legalizing Marijuana’

Meanwhile, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), along with 11 other Democratic senators who urged the Drug Enforcement Administration earlier this year to fully legalize cannabis, reiterated his call for legalization on Friday.

“Let’s make it legal,” Fetterman told Fox News Digital. “I mean, it’s not complicated. Other states have done that. All the states surrounded by Pennsylvania are … and the stupidity of not legalizing marijuana.”

He also highlighted the importance of having a regulated market.

“I would rather have it come from a safe pure place and then I’ve been very clear, it should not be any younger than 21 just like alcohol,” he said ahead of 4/20, the unofficial cannabis holiday. “Young brains can be impacted [by] marijuana and we want to maintain that it should be 21. Any adult should be allowed to do that legally without any criminal pullback.”