Patients in the state of Maryland who are actively buying and using cannabis to ease medical ailments are facing a predicament – they will have to relinquish their guns if they want to keep acquiring cannabis. Maryland State Police have announced how they will question gun buyers about their medical cannabis status and turn them away from a transaction, if they are discovered to be an medical cannabis patient.

This federal law that compels Marylanders to sacrifice their Second Amendment rights is a slight hiccup in the inauguration process of Maryland’s legal cannabis program. Rules and regulations featured on state form 77R and federal form 4473 indicate the recent changes. Anyone who lies about their gun license/ownership will now be slammed with a fine of as much as $250,000. If they are really unlucky, a stint behind bars could also be on the horizon. 

State residents have been taken aback by the news, which comes after the Trump administration confirmed it was repealing an Obama-era policy that formerly opened up a door for state cannabis legislation. The revocation of the Cole Memo that was put into place by the former U.S. president have not yet been enacted, with a a senior Justice Department official saying how the next steps remain “under consideration”.

Cannabis users and advocates have loudly expressed their opinions on the subject, with Former Maryland state Del. Mike Smigiel telling the Baltimore Sun,

“You don’t drink when you’re using firearms and I don’t see that it’s any different with cannabis.”

Cannabis is considered a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, meaning that it shares categorical classification with alternative drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and LSD. Under the new ruling, customers must inform the trader if they do or do not use the green plant in order to purchase a firearm. A database will be accessible by firearms suppliers, who will be capable of looking up individual card-carriers and refuse them the right to purchase a loaded weapon.

In a bid to prepare Marylanders for the latest change in federal law, Maryland Shall Issue® president, Mark Pennak, warned his group members in a social media message that said,

“There’s so many ins and outs to gun laws, so many pitfalls and traps, this is probably one that’s easily overlooked.”

Owners of firearms will now be forced to decide whether they hold onto their guns or hand them over to the Maryland State Police in exchange for an medical cannabis card. Even if a patient has not yet received their card, they will be obligated to disclose whether they have applied for a card or not when coming face-to-face with a cashier inside a firearms store. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Morgan Fox voiced his opinion on the police-issued law, referring to the ruling as a “double standard” for medical cannabis patients. 

Maryland is not the only state to come up against a legal battle of this kind, however. Pennsylvanians are also being asked to part with their firearms and ammunition ownership rights if they wish to procure medical cannabis. Despite the changes in Second Amendment rights, legislature is now back in action, leaving advocacy groups feeling hopeful that lawmakers will permit cannabis across the panel.