Marijuana law discrepancy plagues local authorities

YOUNGSTOWN — Under federal guidelines, medical marijuana users in Ohio can’t purchase or carry firearms, but without the capability to confirm marijuana patients’ status or clarification of the statutes in play, local authorities said they aren’t sure how to best deal with the discrepancy between state and federal law.

Though medical marijuana was legalized in Ohio in 2016 – and a network of growers, processors and dispensers is now materializing in the Mahoning Valley – the drug remains a federally controlled substance. According to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 2011 guidelines, a federal prohibition keeping illegal drug users from possessing firearms extends to medical pot and overrides state law.

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