Federal Appeals Court Rules that Banning Cannabis Consumers from Owning Guns is Unconstitutional
A federal appeals court issued a ruling that strikes a blow to federal prohibition. A panel of three judges reversed the conviction of a man sentenced to almost four years in prison after he was pulled over and found to have firearms and admitted to sometimes using marijuana. The court ruled that banning cannabis users from possessing guns is unconstitutional. The U.S. The Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit referenced a Supreme Court ruling from 2022 that states gun restrictions need to be aligned with the original 1791 ratification of the Second Amendment. The panel agreed that there are laws to limit the use of drugs or alcohol combined with firearms possession, but “at no point in the 18th or 19th century did the government disarm individuals who used drugs or alcohol at one time from possessing guns at another.” The opinion of one judge was that while an intoxicated person cannot possess a firearm, it is unconstitutional to disarm a sober citizen merely because they have used drugs in the past.
Marijuana Stores in Arizona Voluntarily Recall Edibles
Retail cannabis stores in Arizona are issuing a voluntary recall of marijuana edibles. This is the third recall for cannabis products the state has seen this summer. This time, the recall is for a batch of grape-flavored Phoenix-based Nirvana Center’s Cloud 9 gummies out of concern that they may be contaminated with salmonella. An inspector with the Arizona Department of Health Services found the possible contamination on testing documents. The manufacturer of the gummies was immediately notified. Distribution and retail channels were then notified and they issued the recall. To date, no illnesses have been linked to the batch of recalled gummies.
Alabama Officials Issue Another Batch of MMJ Licenses
Alabama cannabis regulators are issuing a second batch of medical cannabis licenses. The issuance is meant to officially kick off the state’s legal medical marijuana industry. In June, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission selected 21 businesses to be the first recipients of the state’s medical cannabis licenses. But, the licenses were never officially issued and thus voided this week. Now, 24 licenses have been issued – 19 of which went to businesses chosen in June. Because of the ongoing litigation surrounding the state’s scoring process for licensing, it is unlikely that the first products will be available for sale before the end of this year.
