Sure, state law may allow medical or recreational use. However, marijuana usage, under current federal law, makes you a prohibited person for firearms purchase and possession.
(GSL) – The Land of Lincoln’s new recreational marijuana law goes into effect on New Year’s Day. On that day, those who wish to partake in legal cannabis consumption may purchase to their heart’s content at state-licensed dispensaries. However, for firearms owners and aficionados, the new law comes with consequences.
Dispensaries will scan state-issued IDs of purchasers. That information will make it into State of Illinois databases. And just as with medical marijuana, Springfield shares that information with the feds.
Consumption of marijuana products puts the user into the prohibited person category when it comes to firearms purchase and possession.
If you have purchased recreational pot, even if you check “No” to question 11e of the Form 4473, the sale will be denied on the NICS background check, exposing you to a federal felony charge.
11e. Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance? Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside. [Emphasis original]
For now at least, pot users with valid FOID cards will probably be allowed to keep their guns by state and local authorities.
However, if the current crackdown on eligibility for a FOID card continues, look for a day to come where those purchasing marijuana, even for “legal” consumption in Illinois, will have their FOID cards revoked. Ditto for any concealed carry licenses held.
What’s more, even if you make a marijuana purchase and then cease using it at a future time, there is no current process we are aware of to have your name removed from that prohibited person status.
For now at least, until marijuana becomes legal at the federal level, the safest and most prudent course of action remains to avoid it if you wish to remain a lawful firearm owner.
Put another way: If you like your guns and want to keep your guns, avoid marijuana consumption.
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