As adult-use cannabis reform has continued to expand throughout the United States, a number of courts have increasingly challenged the current federal law deeming that “a person who is an unlawful user of or who is addicted to a controlled substance” cannot possess a firearm. This law has regularly been extended to cannabis users, even in states that have legalized it.
In recent years, this oft-criticized policy has been met with challenges by numerous federal courts deeming it unconstitutional given the current state of legal cannabis throughout the U.S.
As the first state to usher in legal adult-use cannabis, Colorado is once again looking to make waves in the cannabis world by letting voters decide whether or not cannabis consumers should be allowed under state law to qualify for concealed carry permits, Denver7 reports.
Pro-gun rights organization Guns for Everyone posed the question, which could appear as an initiative on the November 2024 ballot. The organization trains for concealed carry permits, offering free classes for those new to firearms, tactics classes “for those who want to learn about the neuroscience during a fight” along with a class focused on gun law, according to its website.
Guns for Everyone Co-founder Edgar Antillon said that the question boils down to a “freedom issue,” especially relevant given that Colorado introduced recreational cannabis laws more than 10 years ago.
“It’s one of those silly things that has been going on for a while. We’ve legalized marijuana, but we don’t give [users] the ability to defend themselves,” Antillon said. “Alcohol users get to defend themselves. Why not marijuana users?”
Currently, sheriffs in Colorado cannot issue concealed carry permits to those “ineligible” under federal law. Since cannabis is still listed as a controlled substance, this prevents issuance of permits to anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance.”
The initiative currently looks to amend Colorado law to include that “a sheriff shall not use a permit applicant’s lawful use of marijuana … as a basis for denying the applicant a permit.”
Backers appeared at a Denver hearing on Tuesday to review comments and possible changes to the measure before submitting it to the secretary of state for review.
If passed, the initiative is set to take effect in December 2024, though this was flagged as a potential issue at the hearing, as election results may not be certified by that time, as reported by Marijuana Moment. Officials asked backers if the date could potentially be pushed back or if the proposal could be effective through a governor proclamation after election results are officially certified. Antillon and fellow Co-founder Isaac Chase both said they would be open to these options.
The Office of Legislative Services’ Conrad Imel also questioned if the initiative, as it is currently, could be interpreted to remove Colorado’s reference to other firearms restrictions, like bans for those who are dishonorably discharged from the military or who are committed to a mental institution. Antillon said that this was not the intent of the proposal and indicated that the campaign would strike the provision in question.
Antillon also addressed a concern surrounding the proposal’s possible intent to remove the authority of local sheriffs issuing permits to deny applications based on “a reasonable belief that documented previous behavior by the applicant makes it likely that the applicant will present a danger to the applicant’s self or others.” He said that this was not an aim of the proposal, adding that the goal was to reach a “fine balance” between protecting public safety and the freedom of the people.
“We don’t want to tackle all of the issues at the same time,” Antillon said.
As written, the measure would determine unlawful cannabis use through state law rather than federal law, which is the current practice. This would effectively create a divide between Colorado’s gun laws and the current federal law.
Up next, the initiative must be accepted and titled by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. At that point, organizers would be in the clear to begin collecting the required 125,000 signatures to put the issue before voters on Election Day next year.
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