Americans who smoke marijuana are still prohibited from owning guns under federal law, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said in a cautionary statement.
Shortly after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on May 30 signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana across the state, the ATF reminded Minnesotans that federal law still prohibits anyone defined as an “unlawful user” of a controlled substance, including cannabis, from possessing firearms or ammunition.
“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 Jeff Reed, ATF’s acting special agent in charge of the St. Paul Field Division.
The agency cited the Federal Gun Control Act of 1968, which makes it illegal for “unlawful users of or are addicted to narcotics or any other controlled substances” to ship, transport, receive, or possess firearms or ammunition.
This law is further supported by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, placing it in the same category as heroin and LSD. The act doesn’t differentiate between medical or recreational marijuana.
“Federal law does not provide any exception allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes,” the ATF warned.
In the meantime, Minnesotans who are looking to purchase firearms are required to admit if they are an unlawful user of…