Supreme Court Bars Federal Gun Charges for Marijuana Users

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that the federal government cannot criminally prosecute a person for possessing a firearm solely because that person uses marijuana. The 9-0 decision in United States v. Hemani — a case involving a Texas man who admitted to marijuana use during a gun purchase background check — struck down the application of a federal law banning drug users from owning firearms.

The ruling extends the court’s recent pattern of expanding Second Amendment protections under the framework established in its 2022 Bruen decision. Justices found no historical tradition of disarming people based on drug use alone. The decision was unanimous across ideological lines. But the court’s narrow framing left related prosecutions unresolved — including cases involving harder drug use or other circumstances.