Holding and Packing in Oregon

An Oregon judge has ordered Washington County Sheriff Rob Gordon to return the concealed carry permit he took away from Beaverton resident Steven Schwerdt after learning that Schwerdt is a medical marijuana user. Schwerdt's consumption of cannabis is allowed by state law, and he's got the state-issued medical marijuana card to prove it. But Gordon concluded that he was a habitual drug user, barred from possessing guns by the federal Gun Control Act of 1968. Washington County Circuit Judge Marco Hernandez said he wasn't convinced Schwerdt had violated the act. In any case, he said, state law does not authorize county sheriffs to deny or revoke carry permits based on such violations. Schwerdt is one of four patients whose permits Gordon has rescinded because of their medical marijuana use.

[Thanks to NORML's Allen St. Pierre for the tip.]