I use marijuana for my pain to avoid opioids. Now I can't own a firearm

I got a medical marijuana card in 2016 as a last resort. I was not a pot smoker and never had been.

I had acute hip osteoarthritis. My options were grim. I could either go to a “pain management” clinic, which we all know is code for opioid pill mill, or go another route.

I decided on the latter. Because of my osteoarthritis, I was immediately approved for a MMJ card, which allowed me to legally purchase and consume cannabis for pain relief.

However, because cannabis remains illegal federally, I cannot purchase or own a firearm.

This is outrageous.

I deliberately chose not to risk opioid addiction but instead decided to use a very safe plant medicine. This is a direct violation of my Second Amendment rights.

Who do you think is more dangerous? A 60-year-old wannabe grandma who smokes a bowl of legally acquired weed for health purposes, or some drunk yahoo shooting a gun into the air on the Fourth of July?

Or the mass murderers that have legally acquired their firearms?

It’s beyond time for the federal government to act and fix this unconstitutional bias against MMJ card holders.

Kiera Stroup, Tempe

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Marijuana is medicine. That shouldn't disqualify me from owning a gun