Moreover, the letter affirms the illegality of a medicinal marijuana smoker purchasing weapons. Already, those who seek to purchase firearms or ammunition must fill out ATF Form 4473. Question 11.e. specifically asks: “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” Answering ‘yes’ legally bars the individual from purchasing guns or ammunition.

The ATF letter several times referred to marijuana as an addictive drug. According to a summary of the book The Science of Marijuana (2008) in Psychology Today, a person’s risk of developing an addiction to marijuana is roughly 9 percent, compared to 33 percent for tobacco users and 15 percent for alcohol users.

Former Gov. Bill Richardson signed Senate Bill 523, known as the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act, into law in September of 2007.

At the time of the passage, Richardson said: “I’m proud to sign legislation that makes patient care an important priority in this state…It is time for Congress and the federal government to follow our lead and help those forced to endure painful, chronic diseases.”

The New Mexico Independent called ATF for clarification on penalties associated with offering misleading information while purchasing a firearm; a response from the bureau is pending. In May, The American Independent wrote on the intense politicking that went into federal officials scrubbing information on the medical benefits of marijuana from a National Institutes of Health database.

For more information about the state’s medical marijuana program, visit the New Mexico Infectious Disease Bureau.

And if U.S. servicemembers were permitted to drink during a conscript military, doesn’t it stand to reason that an all-volunteer force will be more professional and disciplined in their alcohol consumption?

So, here’s Reynolds:

SO, MAX BAUCUS WASN’T DRUNK, because Joe Biden had an aneurysm?

No, the Baucus video reveals nothing because similar videos have been published to make Biden — who does not drink, and whose occasional slurring has a medical explanation — look like he was drunk. Reynolds continues:

And — though this is an aside, and not really relevant — if Biden is a teetotaler, as Weigel says, what’s he being served in this White House video? Or was the beer just for show, to bolster his “ordinary guy” credentials? UPDATE: Bucklers NA Beer? More here. So, yes, for show.

Yep. Biden, like plenty of teetotalers, drinks non-alcoholic beer. If Reynolds thinks that’s a sham to bolster “regular guy” credentials, he should probably see this June 8, 2007 photo of former President George W. Bush.

Reuters

That’s Bush enjoying a non-alcoholic beer at a G8 summit. I did a quick query for Reynolds’s post attacking Bush for this fraudulent show of “regular guy” solidarity, but I guess the search engine is broken.

Arizonans with concealed weapons permits will be able to take a handgun into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.

That’s under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday.

It would require bar and restaurant owners who want to ban weapons to post a sign next to their liquor license. Drinking while carrying a weapon would be illegal.

The last point is a nice gesture, but it’s not unthinkable that such a law will greatly increase the likelihood that people will, in fact, drink alcohol while carrying a loaded firearm in a bar.

Opponents have said mixing guns and alcohol could cause violence, but supporters said people should be able to protect themselves at businesses that serve alcohol.

It’s a self-evidently bad idea for several reasons, not the least of which is the possibility that bartenders might be a bit more reluctant to cut off customers who have had too much if they think their patrons might be packing. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on the number of DUI-related traffic fatalities in the coming months.

It’s probably worth pointing out that as governor, Napolitano served as a check on the unique brand of wingnuttery found in the Republican-dominated Arizona state legislature, and she used her veto pen generously — including on a very similar guns-in-bars bill in 2005.

Now, with Brewer — a conservative Republican — in charge, Arizona has no voice of sanity at the top-levels of state government.

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