Will Arkansas Allow Medical Marijuana Patients To Carry Concealed Weapons? It Could Under GOP-Led Bill

A measure that would allow medical cannabis patients to obtain a license to carry concealed weapons advanced through Arkansas legislature last week, reported Marijuana Moment.

On Thursday, a bill from Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R) was passed by the members of the House Judiciary Committee in a voice vote. The next stop is the House floor.

Under the bill, qualified medical marijuana patients will not be discriminated against in the process of seeking a gun license.

It seeks to "amend the law concerning concealed handguns" while protecting the "rights of medical marijuana patients and caregivers to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun."

HB1784 further stipulates that just because someone is using medical cannabis doesn't qualify them as a chronic or habitual user of a "controlled substance to the extent that his or her normal faculties are impaired."

Meanwhile, after last year's push to legalize recreational marijuana failed in November, State Senator Joshua Bryant (R) filed a measure to place a constitutional amendment on the 2024 general election ballot giving residents another chance to weigh on the issue.

The bill, SJR13, seeks to legalize marijuana as well as home and craft cultivation.

"The purpose of this joint resolution is to amend the Arkansas Constitution to legalize marijuana for the purposes of craft or home growing and adult use by Arkansas residents of a certain age," the bill stipulates.

Photo: Benzinga edit of images by Arnav Singhal and CBD Infos on Unsplash