Kentucky Governor Advocates for Medical Marijuana-Using Gun Owners

The approach some people have to marijuana makes no sense at all to me. On one hand, they treat marijuana as a wonder drug with absolutely no harmful side effects and that should be legalized completely, including for recreational use.

On the other hand, they also act like it’s a drug that makes people way too dangerous to own a firearm.

It can’t be both and inconsistency bothers me to no end.

So what gives?

I have no idea.

However, I’m going to give Kentucky’s Democratic Governor, Andy Beshear, credit for seemingly lacking that inconsistency.

There’s also a bipartisan Kentucky resolution urging Congress to amend the Gun Control Act of 1968 and allow medical marijuana users to keep their gun rights. Governor Beshear is now vocalizing his support to change the legislation as well. 

“Law abiding Kentuckians, or any American for that matter, shouldn’t have to choose between a constitutional right, like the Second Amendment, and getting the medication that they need,” he said.

Beshear argues there should not be a “loss of rights within our Bill of Rights” for suffering Kentuckians, including veterans with PTSD, who choose to legally use medical cannabis.

“Think about some of the veterans that we’ve had up at this podium that have talked about what medical cannabis has done for them,” he said. “I mean, denying these rights to people who have carried arms in our defense outside of this country is not something we should be doing.”

I agree with Beshear, which is a little surprising since a lot of pro-pot Democrats are still vehemently anti-gun and aren’t interested in reconciling anything in that regard.

Beshear is on the record saying something different, and I’m glad to see it.

My thing is that if marijuana is so safe that it can be used like any other medication, then gun ownership should be treated the same as if you’re on some prescription medication, meaning there should be no impact.

That’s where Kentucky is trying to go, and with Beshear throwing his support behind it, it may give cover to his fellow Democrats to support the legislation as well. It may even pressure some of them to do so.

This is a very promising sign for the state.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s a sure thing. There are still a lot of hurdles any bill has to clear in order to become law, and while Beshear’s support may clear some of the opposition, there are still a lot of ways just one or two people can kill a bill without ever having to go on the record one way or another.

For those in Kentucky, calling up your representatives is probably a wise move. If they figure their job may depend on supporting this bill publicly, then that will possibly clear out some of those other hurdles.

As for whether that will happen, I don’t have anything to speculate on. Democrats tend to be pro-marijuana but anti-gun. Meanwhile, Republicans have a tendency to be pro-gun but anti-marijuana. There are exceptions on both sides, of course, and in all different regards. As such, I just haven’t got a clue what will happen.

But I do have to applaud Beshear for being consistent on this issue, even if he’s less consistent anywhere else.