FactCheck.org

Viral Claim Blurs Marijuana, Gun Policies

Quick Take

Social posts wrongly claim that states legalizing marijuana also have “legislated” that those who use the drug cannot have guns. Actually, a long-standing federal law prohibits marijuana users from possessing or purchasing firearms, regardless of state policies.


Full Story

As states continue to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, those state policies continue to inherently conflict with federal law.

That’s because marijuana remains a Schedule I drug — along with heroin, LSD and others — and is therefore illegal in the eyes of the federal government, regardless of what state laws say. It’s been classified that way since 1970.

Posts   on Facebook, however, distort the facts around the issue and how it relates to gun rights.

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