Florida Democrats reacted to a recent Court of Appeals victory in a marijuana patient gun rights case.
The Florida Democratic Party released a statement celebrating after the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal prohibition on medical marijuana users purchasing firearms may be unconstitutional. The legal case was originally spearheaded by Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture, Nikki Fried, who is now the FDP Chair.
“As Commissioner, I brought this case on behalf of Florida’s medical marijuana patients and Florida’s over 1.3 million veterans, who after proudly serving our country should not be forced to choose between access to life-saving medicine and their Second Amendment rights,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.
This lawsuit sought to defend the rights and freedoms of the nearly one million medical marijuana users in Florida, and the recent ruling is a victory for patients as well as sensible gun owners across the nation. In the Second Amendment and marijuana case, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that “the government failed to meet its burden—at the motion to dismiss stage—to establish that disarming medical marijuana users is consistent with this Nation’s history and tradition of firearm regulation.”
“Under my leadership, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services made gun licensing safer and more efficient, while also ending the NRA’s influence over the office,” FDP Chair Nikki Fried added. “Unfortunately, under Republican leadership, FDACS has pushed to unwind my reforms, abandoned this case against the federal government, and deserted the veterans and Floridians it sought to protect.”
Democrats pointed out that 71% of voters in Florida supported establishing a state constitutional right to medical marijuana.
The Florida Democratic Party said the success of this case demonstrates that when Democrats are elected, they are able to champion issues that impact the everyday lives of Floridians.
Read the opinion from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the Florida marijuana patient gun rights case.
