Cannabis and Firearms: The Choice Between Marijuana Use and Second Amendment Rights
Dorsey Kindler
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02/24/2021
In Part 1…
We were introduced to Kim Petters, a U.S. Air Force veteran who developed PTSD but found relief with Delaware’s medical marijuana program. Due to federal law 18 U.S.C. 922 (g), however, legal users of cannabis can not be legal owners of firearms. Petters, and others in similar situations, are faced with the difficult decision of choosing protection or pain relief. Dr. Corey Burchman, a Navy veteran in New York City, believes CBD can be used as an alternative to opioids, noting that owning a gun is allowed for users of other prescribed forms of pain relief.
ROCKFORD Violence prevention activists and local faith leaders are calling on state lawmakers to address the surging gun violence that has plagued Rockford and other Illinois cities in 2020.
The starting point, according to Rev. Kenneth Copeland with New Zion Baptist Church in Rockford, is a comprehensive strategy that includes additional resources for violence prevention, intervention, mental health, trauma and re-entry programs.
“We need a strategic way of thinking that takes away from politicians this binary of are you soft on crime or are you hard on crime, ” Copeland said during a news conference Thursday. “We really need to be smart on crime as it relates to our citizenry and as it relates to access and ownership of weapons that are designed to kill people.”