I imagine it will not go unnoticed by the drug cartels either. They are spending millions and fighting a war in Mexico to bring drugs through Mexico and to the United States. Marijuana while bulkier, and not as profitable per smuggled quantity, is also the easiest product to offload because it has the largest most widespread market. This makes it the cash cow.
Legalization is going to seriously cut profits. Billions are estimated to be lost already.
I wonder if they will take an active role to stop legalization, and put pressure where they can to reverse it.
BSA1 said:
There is nothing in the question that asks about past or future intention use of illegal drugs.
I seem to recall an ATF letter or statement that defined what they considered an 'addict' of marijuana. It was like so many times per year, or X number of times in a few years.
It was some relatively small number too, like used it more than 3x in one year or 5x in a few years.
A definition that would for example make everyone that drinks any alcohol an addict of alcohol (but it didn't cover alcohol, just marijuana.)
Does anyone have that definition or letter?'
That would in fact cover a pretty extensive time period.
I deal with this issue all the time. As someone that likes to do a lot of outdoor activities in California and often like to bring a firearm when feasible. There is many people in California that smoke marijuana. Some just at the end of the day or on occasion.
Typically it is a non issue because in California it is either an infraction (speeding ticket) or legal if they got a prescription that is excessively easy to get.
The feds also don't prosecute for mere possession generally so it really is just the state law that impacts most people.
Yet when it comes to firearms it suddenly turns from an infraction to a major crime.
It becomes a limiting factor when I don't even want to go on a trip with certain people or have them in a vehicle with me because they smoke a little weed at the campfire after a long day and so I know they are going to have marijuana on them.
It is not just low lifes smoking it, although there is plenty of potheads that do it all the time wasting thier lives no differently than alcoholics. There is also many otherwise upstanding citizens in all sorts of professions.
I know in some regions it is associated with certain types of people, but it is culturally a lot more widespread in places like California.
In most circles in California if you get to know the people you are around well enough a percentage are using marijuana on occasion. In more professional circles it just takes longer to come out.