The United States Supreme Court has struck down the federal government’s attempt to broadly prohibit marijuana users from possessing firearms, ruling that such enforcement violates the Second Amendment.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, the court held that the prosecution of a man for owning a firearm while being a regular marijuana user was unconstitutional, significantly narrowing the scope of a federal law that has restricted gun ownership among drug users since the 1960s.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the court, said the government failed to demonstrate that all marijuana users are inherently dangerous or violent.
“We do not question that sometimes an individual’s unlawful use of marijuana may render him a danger to others,” the court said. “But the government asks us to conclude that anyone who regularly uses marijuana is categorically violent and dangerous without any further showing.”
The case involved Ali Danial Hemani, a dual US-Pakistani citizen who was charged in 2023 under a federal law prohibiting unlawful drug users from possessing firearms. Authorities discovered a Glock 9mm pistol and marijuana during a search of his family home.
The ruling stops short of deciding whether the government can restrict firearm possession by individuals addicted to drugs or those whose drug use presents a clear danger to themselves or others. Instead, the court focused narrowly on the government’s inability to justify a blanket prohibition against all marijuana users.
The Biden and later Trump administrations defended the law, arguing that firearms and drug use create public safety risks. Federal prosecutors reportedly charge about 300 people annually under the statute, which carries penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
The decision is expected to influence future legal challenges involving firearm restrictions and drug-related offenses, particularly as marijuana legalization continues to expand across the United States.
