Despite the fact that recreational and medical weed use is legal in Colorado, it is not currently legal to have a concealed weapon license in the state if you are a pot user. Now, an activist group is trying to change that.
The “Colorado Campaign for Equal Gun Rights” is attempting to get a measure on the 2016 ballot that would stop the practice of asking concealed weapon applicants under oath if they are “an unlawful user of” weed “or any other controlled substance.” Weed is still illegal on a federal level and an applicant would technically be guilty of perjury if they were a “user” and answered “no”.
The Associated Press interviewed an organizer for the campaign:
“It’s just ridiculous,” said Edgar Antillon, one of the campaign organizers, who argues that firearms aren’t kept from alcohol drinkers. “Somebody can get extremely drunk — Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and all week if they want — and they can still get a concealed carry permit.”
Indeed, that’s a key point. According to a study in the scientific journal Addictive Behaviors, “Alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship,” whereas, “cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication.” There are so many other statistics to point to about weed’s societal benefits and advantages over alcohol use, but here’s just a few quotes and links for good measure:
From the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs: “Weed does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior.” Also: “Denver’s … violent crime in January and February (first months of legalization) fell by 2.4 percent compared to the first two months of 2013.” Or the Denver PD’s own crime stats: “Our findings indicated that MML (medical marijuana legalization) precedes a reduction in homicide and assault.”
Considering the data, bong hits should be a mandatory requirement for gunslingers.
(Photo: Don Goofy)
