Medical Marijuana Patients Will Soon Be Able To Own Guns Without Any Issues In This State

The Arkansas Senate passed legislation Friday in a 26-3 vote allowing registered medical marijuana patients to obtain concealed carry licenses, reported Marijuana Moment. The bill is now heading to Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R).

The measure, HB1784, sponsored by Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R) was recently approved in the House Judiciary Committee and then quickly passed on the full House floor.

The legislation suggests that using medical marijuana does not deem an individual as a chronic or habitual user of “a controlled substance to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired."

“No other prescription medication, including opioids, disqualifies anyone from having a [concealed carry] license. Medical marijuana patients should not be an exception,” Sen. Clint Penzo (R) said during the Senate floor session. “This bill ensures otherwise qualified Arkansans have the right to obtain a concealed carry license, regardless of their medical marijuana status.”

The bill amending the law concerning concealed handguns while protecting the “rights of medical marijuana patients and caregivers to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun,” seems to have garnered enough support to annul a potential veto.

The Department of Health would be forbidden to reveal a person’s patient status to the state police as part of any investigation into concealed carry eligibility.

Meanwhile, Arkansas is enjoying the benefits of marijuana tax revenue; the state collected around $100 million in medical cannabis tax since the program started in 2019.

The Department of Finance and Administration's data suggest that medical marijuana helped the state garner $97.2 million through a 6.5% sales tax and a 4% privilege tax paid by patients at dispensaries.

Photo: Benzinga edit with images by mohamed_hassan and Alexey_Hulsov on Pixabay