Can someone be a cannabis patient and avid hunter at the same time? It seems in Germany that answer is “no.” A German cannabis patient and hunter has been repeatedly refused a hunting license despite successfully passing the hunter’s test.
Peter Jakobs smokes four joints a day to relieve the symptoms of his Bechterew’s disease. Last year, the 52-year-old successfully passed the hunter’s test, but his application for a hunting license was subsequently denied. The responsible county’s authority reasoning states that the applicant is intoxicated after consuming cannabis and is therefore not fit to carry a weapon.
So, Jakobs turned to renowned psychotherapist Richard Tank for examination. The Trier psychologist confirmed Jakobs had not only the capability but the reliability to deal with weapons within the meaning of the weapons law.
“There are no performance deficiencies,” Tank concluded. The fact that Jakobs is allowed to drive in spite of his medical cannabis prescription is an additional indication of his fitness and capacity to responsibly carry a firearm.
In Germany, firearm legislation is strictly regulated and the right to carry a weapon is neither…