AR-15 style rifles and shotguns for sale at Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly, Virginia. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
This piece was published in partnership with the Influence.
The aftermath of the Orlando massacre has once again highlighted America’s extremely odd relationship with guns. But the country’s relationship with marijuana—especially given weed’s ability to alleviate the suffering of people with a range of medical conditions—is every bit as strange.
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Noticing these two forms of weirdness, we wondered: In which US states, in 2016, can you legally buy an assault rifle if you want one—but not legally buy medical marijuana, even if you’re quite ill?
One of these things causes many annual deaths. The other causes no annual deaths. We’ll leave you to determine which is which.
With the recent passage of medical marijuana legislation in Ohio and Louisiana, there are now 26 states (plus DC) that allow it to a meaningful extent, or are soon to do so. Only seven states (plus DC) currently ban assault weapons. The lists of states mostly reflect US political fault lines, of course. (And yes, if you want to get really wonkish, there are various idiosyncrasies and exceptions to a bunch of these state laws. But still!)
Based on a comparison of these lists, here’s a rundown of 24 states that allow assault weapons but do not allow* medical marijuana:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana (some regulation of assault weapons)
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia (some regulation of assault weapons)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
*except in extremely restricted circumstances, often involving very limited medical conditions and/or research.
Follow Patrick Hilsman on Twitter.
A version of this article was originally published by the Influence, a news site that covers the full spectrum of human relationships with drugs. Follow the Influence on Facebook or Twitter.
