NORML Defends Cannabis Consumers’ Constitutional Rights

Should one’s status as a cannabis consumer prohibit them from ever legally owning a firearm?

That was the question before the US Supreme Court yesterday in United States v. Hemani. 

Lawyers for the federal government say ‘yes.’ NORML says ‘no.’

NORML was among several advocacy groups that filed friend-of-the-court briefs urging Justices to strike down the longstanding federal ban.

“For centuries, Americans cultivated, consumed, and prescribed cannabis without any suggestion that doing so warranted loss of firearms rights. And state-legal medical cannabis users readily continue to do so today with the protection of Congress,” NORML’s brief explains. “The historical analogs the government identifies concern temporary restrictions on carrying or firing weapons while intoxicated or on persons adjudged dangerous — not blanket bans on all users of a disfavored substance.”

NORML has long fought to ensure that cannabis consumers’ 2nd Amendment rights are not infringed. NORML’s Amicus Committee previously filed briefs in United States v. Daniels, where the Fifth Circuit concluded that neither “history [nor] tradition … justify disarming a sober citizen based exclusively on his past drug usage,” and in Cooper v. Attorney General of the United States, where the Eleventh Circuit held that the federal firearms ban does not apply to individuals who possess medical cannabis in compliance with state law.

But it’s not only consumers’ 2nd Amendment rights that are under assault. Historically, governments have sought to deny cannabis consumers many other rights as well, including their right to use the medicine that works best for them, or to exercise their freedom to choose to relax with a substance that’s objectively safer than alcohol. And every step of the way, NORML has been there to fight back on their behalf.

Our efforts have made — and are continuing to make — a difference. Most Americans no longer support policies that target, arrest, and prosecute responsible cannabis consumers. And yesterday, many Justices on the Court appeared to reject the notion that consumers can be categorically denied their 2nd amendment rights.

Your support for NORML makes it possible for us to do this important work: to make certain that cannabis consumers no longer face undue discrimination or prosecution. Your support allows us to ramp up our fight for freedom. We stand with you, so please stand with us. Please give to NORML today so that we can ensure a freer tomorrow.