The Justice Department still hasn’t caught on to the value of cannabis
The Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to take a firm stance that medical cannabis patients are a community of great danger to society, and therefore, should not be able to have a firearm in their possession. The agency’s allegations have gone so far that it is now even comparing these consumers to domestic abusers with a “propensity” for violence.
In response to a lawsuit by Florida’s agriculture commissioner, the DOJ made comparisons that left more than one person scratching their head. The plaintiff alleges that the federal policy prohibiting medical marijuana patients from possessing firearms should be considered unconstitutional. The DOJ has indicated that this series of claims is moot and has asked the court to dismiss the case or at least enter summary judgment.
Nikki Fried, the commissioner of agriculture, first filed the lawsuit in April. The reason is that under Florida law, several medical marijuana patients were denied access to firearms.
The fact that the DOJ asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed took many by surprise. The department has repeatedly cited historical case law in support of cannabis prohibition that drew parallels between medical cannabis patients and the mentally ill, panhandlers, Catholics, and other groups previously denied access to firearms.
However, those earlier claims seem to have faded and now the DOJ makes it clear that those who use cannabis are inherently too dangerous to own guns because they are in violation of federal law. There is no research that has identified an association between cannabis legalization and a decrease in incidents of domestic violence, as opposed to alcohol. However, the DOJ does not seem to be paying attention to those findings.