Marijuana Isn’t ‘Chill’ And Is Actually More Dangerous Than Alcohol, Anti-Legalization Groups Tell Supreme Court In Brief For Gun Rights Case

OG article by Kyle Jaeger

December 18, 2025

Anti-marijuana organizations have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case U.S. v. Hemani, urging justices to uphold a federal law banning gun ownership for cannabis users. They argue that marijuana, despite being promoted as a relaxing substance, now links to violence and severe mental health issues like psychosis and schizophrenia. The groups claim today's potent cannabis products cause lasting mental illnesses, making users more dangerous than alcohol consumers, whose effects wear off quickly. They assert that striking down the statute under 922(g)(3) would worsen societal harms and family devastation. The brief emphasizes marijuana's causal tie to long-term conditions such as schizophrenia, aligning with Supreme Court precedent on restricting guns for those with mental illness. Signed by Smart Approaches to Marijuana and over 20 other groups, it highlights how commercialization has increased potency, addicting users and fueling gun violence. The organizations warn that legalizing marijuana at state levels has amplified these risks. This filing echoes the Justice Department's stance that illegal drug users pose greater dangers than alcohol drinkers. The case involves circuit conflicts, with the court recently denying related petitions while accepting Hemani for review.