| Photo: Jeff Barnard/AP |
| Cynthia Willis shows off her medical marijuana card, a Walther P22 pistol and her concealed handgun permit at a firing range in White City, Oregon, March 25, 2011. |
The Oregon Supreme Court has ruled that just because retired bus driver Cynthia Willis has medical marijuana doesn’t mean she can’t have a concealed handgun, too.
The court ruled on Thursday morning that a federal law prohibiting “criminals and drug addicts” from buying firearms does not mean sheriffs can’t issue concealed weapons permits to people who qualify, including medical marijuana patients, reports Jeff Barnard of The Associated Press.
Willis said she feels “like a big girl now” that the court found medical marijuana patients should be treated like everyone else.
Oregon in 1998 legalized medical marijuana, part of the first wave along with California (1996) and Washington (1998) authorizing patients to use cannabis to treat certain medical conditions after voters approved a ballot initiative.
Sixteen states nationwide have now passed medical marijuana laws.
More than 30,000 Oregonians now hold medical marijuana patient cards.