Cannabis Card and Firearms License in Puerto Rico: What Changed and What Hasn't

A widely-shared claim holds that people in Puerto Rico can now hold a medical cannabis card and a firearms license at the same time, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That claim is not what the ruling supports. The gap between the legal question the Court addressed and what is happening in practice is precisely where a patient can be hurt. This page explains what changed, what has not changed, and what remains undecided.

Accurate as of 19 August 2026. This is a developing legal and regulatory situation; verify with a Puerto Rico attorney before making any decision.

What the U.S. Supreme Court actually ruled

On 18 June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling holding that a person may not be automatically deprived of the right to own or carry a firearm solely because they are a cannabis patient or legal consumer. The Court held that restrictions on firearm rights must rest on individualized evidence about that specific person's conduct — not simply on their status as a cannabis user.

This ruling did not strike down every restriction on cannabis users and firearms. It did not rule that cannabis patients are categorically free to own or carry firearms. What it prohibited was automatic, categorical disqualification based solely on patient status. Those are meaningfully different things.

What Puerto Rico's Police Bureau is doing

The Puerto Rico Police Bureau has stated it will not enforce the Supreme Court ruling. The Bureau's position on firearms licensing for cannabis patients has not changed following the ruling.

A Puerto Rico gun-rights organization, CODEPOLA, has publicly described the Bureau's posture as "slow" and "misguided." CODEPOLA reports that firearms and firearms licenses have been seized from cannabis patients, and has urged the Bureau to identify affected license-holders and return both the firearms and the licenses to them.

This is the most important practical fact for anyone making a decision right now: the agency responsible for issuing firearms licenses in Puerto Rico is not applying the federal court ruling. A patient may hold a right on paper while the agency refuses to honor it.

House Bill 651

House Bill 651 has advanced from the Puerto Rico House of Representatives to the Puerto Rico Senate. If enacted, the bill would bar medical cannabis patients from obtaining firearms licenses in Puerto Rico and would authorize the Puerto Rico Police Bureau to verify firearms applicants against the Puerto Rico Department of Health's cannabis patient registry.

As of 19 August 2026, HB 651 has not become law, but its advancement to the Senate means the Puerto Rico Legislature is actively moving to codify a ban in local law.

The federal law tension that underlies all of this

Puerto Rico's own weapons-license criteria require that an applicant be legally permitted to possess a firearm under federal law. Cannabis remains a federally controlled substance — this is not changed by Puerto Rico's medical cannabis program under Law 42-2017. That federal-law conflict is at the heart of the question and is not resolved by the Supreme Court's ruling on automatic disqualification. The Court addressed how disqualification must be applied; it did not change cannabis's federal controlled-substance status.

Where this leaves a cannabis patient today

A cannabis patient in Puerto Rico may hold a right on paper — the Supreme Court's ruling prohibits automatic categorical disqualification — while facing three compounding practical realities:

The Puerto Rico Police Bureau says it will not enforce the ruling and has reportedly seized firearms and licenses from patients.
The Puerto Rico Legislature is advancing a bill that would codify the ban in local law.
Puerto Rico's own licensing criteria tie firearms eligibility to federal law, under which cannabis remains a controlled substance.

The situation cannot honestly be summarized as "you can hold both." Anyone making a decision about a firearms license — whether to apply, whether to renew, or whether to become a cannabis patient — needs to weigh all three layers: the federal court ruling, the Police Bureau's current practice, and the pending legislation.

MedCardPR is a medical cannabis application and coordination service. This page is not legal advice. Anyone making decisions at the intersection of cannabis and firearms law in Puerto Rico should consult an attorney who practices in both areas.

Frequently asked questions

Can I hold a medical cannabis card and a firearms license in Puerto Rico right now?

The legal picture is actively contested. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2026 that automatic disqualification based solely on cannabis-patient status is not permitted, but Puerto Rico's Police Bureau has stated it will not enforce that ruling. Firearms and firearms licenses have reportedly been seized from patients. Consult a Puerto Rico attorney before acting.

Did the Supreme Court rule that cannabis patients can own firearms?

Not in those terms. The Court ruled unanimously on 18 June 2026 that a person cannot be automatically deprived of firearm rights solely for being a cannabis patient — restrictions must be based on individualized evidence about that person's conduct. The ruling did not categorically free cannabis patients to own firearms and did not strike down all restrictions.

What would House Bill 651 do?

If enacted, HB 651 would bar medical cannabis patients from obtaining firearms licenses in Puerto Rico and would authorize the Puerto Rico Police Bureau to verify firearms applicants against the Department of Health's cannabis patient registry. As of 19 August 2026, the bill has advanced to the Puerto Rico Senate but has not become law.

Does MedCardPR help with firearms licenses?

No. MedCardPR is an application and coordination service for Puerto Rico medical cannabis cards. We do not assist with firearms licensing, and the cannabis card we help patients obtain does not affect or modify any firearms license.

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