Hawaii police order medical marijuana users to ‘voluntarily surrender’ guns and ammo

The Blaze – by Jana J Pruet

Hawaiian police sent medical marijuana users a letter ordering them to “voluntarily surrender” their firearms and ammunition.

According to federal law, patients who use medical marijuana are not allowed to own a gun. Federal law applies even in states that allow the medicinal or recreational use of the drug.

The letter signed by Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard says those notified have 30 days from receipt to transfer ownership or turn in weapons and ammunition to the police, Leafly reported.

What does the federal law say?

In 2011, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued an open letter to federal firearm licensees stating there are no exceptions to gun laws whether a particular state passes cannabis legalization laws or not. According to the ATF letter:

Any person who uses or is addicted to marijuana, regardless of whether his or her State has passed legislation authorizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, and is prohibited by Federal law from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Twenty-nine states have passed laws making it legal to use cannabis for medical or recreational use. California was the first to allow lawful use for medicinal purposes in 1996. In 2012, Washington and Colorado were the first to pass laws approving it for recreational use.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of appeals upheld the federal law last year.

“It may be argued that medical marijuana users are less likely to commit violent crimes, as they often suffer from debilitating illnesses, for which marijuana may be an effective palliative,” the federal ruling stated. “But those hypotheses are not sufficient to overcome Congress’s reasonable conclusion that the use of such drugs raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated.”

Hawaii opened its first marijuana dispensary in August, and it may be the first state to issue a notice to users regarding the surrendering of firearms, according to Leafly.

How did police know who uses medicinal cannabis?

Hawaii maintains a database of firearm purchasers, who must complete both the federal ATF and a state permit application, and a database of medical marijuana patients.

The Honolulu Police compiled its list using the combined databases, Leafly reported.

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/11/28/hawaii-police-order-medical-marijuana-users-to-voluntarily-surrender-guns-and-ammo

8 thoughts on “Hawaii police order medical marijuana users to ‘voluntarily surrender’ guns and ammo

  1. TOTAL BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get drunk off your rear and have all the guns you want but smoke a joint and you become a prohibited person? Alcohol causes far and away more deaths and injuries than weed does. These totalitarians will do ANYTHING to get the guns from as many of us as possible. TYRANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Besides revenue, this was an absolute foreseeable intended consequence.

    No shock here. I wouldn’t touch any of their weed, let alone sign up for their permission. Nothing, and I mean absolutely NOTHING, they do isn’t a trap set that’s 3 steps ahead of the idiots who believe they serve them.

    Wakey wakey, rise and bakey, but don’t walk further than your chain allows.

  3. Yep. Medical marijuana cards are gun control. It hasn’t been really reported. You get a choice, pot or the 2nd amendment. First off, I’m pro cannabis but the democrats have been pushing what they call ‘legalization’ for a while. When In reality it’s gun control. The Fed’s ain’t taking it off the top schedule either…..for the same reason. People lined up to get these cards and found out after the fact. The government also updated the 4473 form to specifically ask in more detail about cannabis use.

    All the master plan to phuck people out of rights.

  4. seems like an INFRINGEMENT so they can just F.O.

    and this is the attitude you need to have, and even when they think they are going to steal your property by color of “law”..give them nothing ..except the fight of your life

  5. Which likely explains why mostly libtard states like Colorado have legalized it (in a manner of speaking)….which might also explain why Texas never will–and, if this is the case, good on Texas (besides which, there is likely more reefer “madness” in Texas than Colorado will ever hope to have…during the Republic of Texas standoff where there were law enforcement everywhere there were several property owners who were actually growing marijuana on their properties and the cops didn’t even know it!)

  6. “But those hypotheses are not sufficient to overcome Congress’s reasonable conclusion that the use of such drugs raises the risk of irrational or unpredictable behavior with which gun use should not be associated.”

    Reasonable conclusion?

    The 2nd mentions absolutely NOTHING about any ‘reasonable conclusion’. The only reasonable conclusion that WE can draw from this is that you’re all in desperate need of being hung.

    It oughta get real interestin’ when the pigs go out to actually TRY collecting.

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