The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, June 18, that the federal government can’t restrict the gun rights of casual drug users. The justices ruled unanimously, 9-0, that the government’s invocation of the law banning anyone who is “an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from possessing a firearm is unconstitutional.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that the ruling was narrow, adding: “We appreciate drugs and guns can sometimes make for a dangerous mix.” This ruling doesn’t invalidate the law across the board, but it will make it more difficult for prosecutors to invoke it, especially when it comes to casual drug use and users of marijuana specifically, which has been legalized in numerous states.
“The court has sent a strong message that the government cannot criminalize the conduct of large numbers of people by making categorical and unfounded assumptions about whether they are dangerous,” Cecillia Wang, legal director of the ACLU, said in a statement.
Ali Hemani, a Texas-born dual citizen of the US and Pakistan, successfully challenged the law both in a Texas-based district court and the New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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