Marijuana Lovers Take Note: You Forfeit Your Second Amendment Rights If You Fire Up — Even in Legal States – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

Days after Minnesota became the 23rd state in America to legalize recreational use of marijuana last month, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms sent out a friendly reminder to residents there: when you take advantage of your newfound right to smoke weed, you are giving up your Second Amendment rights.

The federal Gun Control Act of 1968, the agency said in a statement, prohibits any user of a controlled substance in America from shipping, transporting, receiving or possessing firearms or ammunition of any kind. Marijuana, at the federal level, is still considered a controlled substance, the statement said, and the rule applies to both medical and recreational users of the drug.

“Until marijuana is legalized federally, firearms owners and possessors should be mindful that it remains federally illegal to mix marijuana with firearms and ammunition,” said the acting Special Agent in Charge of the agency’s St. Paul office, Jeff Reed. “As regulators of the firearms industry and enforcers of firearms laws, we felt it was important to remind Minnesotans of this distinction as the marijuana laws adjust here in the State of Minnesota.”

The notice was another stark reminder of just how much of a tangle marijuana laws are in America at the moment. Retailers in some states can sell the drug, but they can’t accept credit cards or open bank accounts with their proceeds. Farmers can grow the crop in some states, but they can’t sell to buyers across…