Guns And Weed Conflict Heats Up: Pennsylvania DA Sues Feds Over Firearms Ban For Medical Marijuana Patients – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

The simmering dispute over gun ownership rights for medical marijuana patients heated up on Tuesday when Pennsylvania District Attorney Robert Greene filed a lawsuit against the federal government.

Greene and a group of gun rights advocates fired a fresh salvo in federal court with the first civil lawsuit of its kind, a strategic move distinct from previous criminal cases challenging the federal ban preventing medical marijuana patients from buying and possessing firearms.

“It’s not about winning or losing,” said Greene, who is a registered medical marijuana patient, Marijuana Moment reported, “but about asserting that this prohibition is unconstitutional and forcing the government to confront the absurdity of denying millions of Americans their Second Amendment rights based solely on their medical choices.”

Greene’s participation in the case is notable as the court filing states that he “intends to lawfully purchase, possess, and utilize firearms and ammunition so that he may exercise his constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense and all other lawful purposes.” However, Green is barred from buying a gun because of his status as a medical marijuana patient.

Ongoing Cases

The current patchwork of rulings across the country highlights the growing tension between marijuana legalization efforts and federal gun laws. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a major blow to the ban in 2022, declaring it unconstitutional as applied to a man who used…