Some fightin’ words are coming from the DOJ when it comes to judgments on marijuana-users. But first, some context.
Last month, the Supreme Court decided that the federal government had a right to limit use of guns for people with domestic violence restraining orders. Some similar cases, including one on whether marijuana smokers could attain guns, were then sent back to lower courts.
A brief by the Department of Justice was then filed this week that argued the marijuana case should have the same outcome as the domestic violence case. One of the reasons listed was that marijuana smokers were “presumptively risky people.”
The letter is a glimpse into how the DOJ perceives marijuana and those who consume it. The main argument is that marijuana smokers are just as risky as people with domestic violence restraining orders in that they present “an inherent risk of danger to themselves and others.”
Previously a fifth circuit panel ruled in the favor of the individual who consumed marijuana while in possession of a gun who was facing a felony conviction. They deemed the prevention of the mixture as unconstitutional. This was appealed by the DOJ and subsequently brought up to the Supreme Court.
In the letter, the DOJ bring up some potential side effects as a reason not to trust those using marijuana, such as short-term memory loss, impaired perception and motor skills, and hallucinations.
“Moreover, according to the Center for Disease Control, people who use marijuana are more likely to develop psychosis and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia—which is even more likely when the use begins at an early age and is frequent… Marijuana use is also associated with depression, thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts, and suicide. These findings, by courts and studies, are corroborated by real life stories of people losing their lives in drug deals gone bad.”
The “drug deals gone bad” really feels like an argument from a different era, but that’s where we stand. It’s unclear where the new court will sway on this issue, but if the individual in the case again gets support from the court, this will surely be appealed and brought right back to the Supreme Court, where it will likely have a favorable outcome for the government.
Read the original article at Marijuana Moment.
