A recent decision from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marks a historic win for medical cannabis patients. The court ruled that people following their state’s medical marijuana laws cannot automatically be stripped of their Second Amendment rights.
This unanimous ruling breaks apart the government’s long-standing narrative that cannabis patients are “dangerous drug users.” Instead, it acknowledges what patients and advocates have argued for years: using cannabis responsibly and legally does not make you a threat to public safety.
Why This Ruling Matters
The decision cuts to the heart of prohibition-era logic. Alcohol users, whose consumption is directly linked to gun deaths, domestic violence, and reckless behavior, aren’t automatically denied their right to own firearms. Yet medical cannabis patients, who are often among the most law-abiding consumers, have been forced to choose between their medicine and their constitutional rights.
The court’s message is clear: prohibition is the problem, not cannabis.
The Case Behind the Decision
This legal challenge was originally filed by former Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, along with patients Vera Cooper and Nicole Hansell, and retired police officer Neill Franklin.
Under federal law, anyone who admits to cannabis use on ATF Form 4473 loses their right to purchase a firearm. That meant Cooper and Hansell were denied after disclosing their legal participation in Florida’s medical program. Franklin, a current gun owner, wanted to try medical cannabis but feared losing his rights.
Judge Elizabeth Branch, writing for the panel, dismissed the government’s arguments, stating that medical cannabis patients cannot be compared to felons or historically dangerous individuals barred from gun ownership. Their cannabis use, under state regulation, does not make them inherently unfit to exercise their constitutional rights.
Debunking the “Dangerous Drug User” Myth
The federal government argued that all cannabis users should be treated as unsafe. The judges rejected this reasoning outright, pointing out that Cooper and Hansell had committed no crimes, shown no reckless behavior, and posed no risk.
The court noted that unlike people struggling with addiction or impaired judgment, medical cannabis patients make informed, rational choices, and would stop using cannabis if it became criminally risky.
Prohibition, Not Cannabis, Creates Violence
The decision also highlights an uncomfortable truth: gun violence tied to cannabis has historically come from prohibition, not the plant itself.
When cannabis was forced underground, it became tied to criminal markets and violence. In today’s regulated programs, the risks are drastically different. Patients are tracked, dispensaries are regulated, and every purchase is logged.
Meanwhile, alcohol remains legal despite being directly responsible for thousands of deaths annually. Cannabis patients aren’t the danger, federal prohibition is.
The Bigger Picture: A Legal Shift
This ruling joins a growing list of federal court decisions questioning the constitutionality of blanket bans on cannabis users and firearms. The 5th Circuit reached a similar conclusion in United States v. Connelly, and the 8th Circuit has also pushed back on restrictions.
The Supreme Court’s standard that gun laws must align with “historical tradition” leaves the government on shaky ground. There’s no history of disarming patients who take medicine, because no such tradition exists.
The Path Forward
While this decision is a victory, it doesn’t resolve the bigger conflict. Until cannabis is removed from the Controlled Substances Act, patients remain caught in a web of conflicting state and federal laws.
The fix is simple: Congress must deschedule cannabis. Doing so would remove the constitutional conflict and let states regulate it like alcohol.
Until then, patients will remain in legal limbo.
The 11th Circuit’s ruling sends a powerful message: medical cannabis patients deserve the same protections as every other law-abiding American. Outdated drug war logic has no place in determining who gets to exercise their rights.
Responsible cannabis use is not the threat, prohibition is.
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