PRINTER'S NO. 1419
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
253
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY FOLMER, SCARNATI, VULAKOVICH, BARTOLOTTA, STEFANO,
SCAVELLO, RESCHENTHALER, BOSCOLA, YAW AND WHITE,
JANUARY 19, 2018
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, JANUARY 19, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to amend the Gun
Control Act of 1968 to protect the constitutional rights of
medical cannabis users.
WHEREAS, In 1968, the Congress of the United States passed
the Gun Control Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-618, 82 Stat. 1213)
to regulate the firearms industry and firearms owners; and
WHEREAS, In 1970, the Congress of the United States passed
the Controlled Substances Act (Public Law 91-513, 84 Stat.
1236), which designates cannabis in the most restrictive
category as a Schedule I drug; and
WHEREAS, In 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
(Public Law 103-159, 107 Stat. 1536) amended the Gun Control Act
of 1968 by restricting individuals who use controlled substances
from owning firearms and ammunition; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives has issued guidance on restricting individuals who
use cannabis from owning firearms and ammunition; and
WHEREAS, Section 102 of the act of April 17, 2016 (P.L.84,
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No.16), known as the Medical Marijuana Act, states that
"Scientific evidence suggests that medical marijuana is one
potential therapy that may mitigate suffering in some patients
and also enhance quality of life"; and
WHEREAS, The Second Amendment of the Constitution of the
United States guarantees "the right of the people to keep and
bear arms"; and
WHEREAS, The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the
United States guarantees that no person shall "be deprived of
life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"; and
WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution of the
United States provides: "The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people";
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Congress of the United States to amend the Gun Control
Act of 1968 to protect the constitutional rights of medical
cannabis users; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the
President of the United States, the presiding officers of each
house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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