It looks like Illinois residents will be able to have their weed and shoot it too.

Although experts warned that the federal prohibition of cannabis would disqualify users of the drug from owning a firearm, authorities in the newly-legalized state are now saying that weed enthusiasts can keep their guns.

Federal gun laws expressly prohibit users of illegal drugs from owning firearms. But Illinois State Police state that due to provisions in state legalization laws, which took effect on January 1, adult-use cannabis lovers will not be targeted by law enforcement.

Technically, cannabis users who are also in possession of firearms are committing a federal felony, and could face as long as 10 years in prison under federal law. Cannabis consumers who falsely respond negatively to the question on the federal form regarding illegal drug consumption are also committing a federal felony, facing up to 5 years of incarceration if convicted.

Illinois continues to prohibit individuals who have consumed any illegal drug within the past 365 days from obtaining their necessary firearm owner identification card (FOID), which is a prerequisite to owning a gun in the state. But the state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provide residents with an out.

The Act stipulates that “a person shall not be considered an unlawful user…solely as a result of his or her possession or use of cannabis or cannabis paraphernalia in accordance with this Act.” As per the Act, the state, which issues the FOIDs, will not withhold the cards from cannabis users.

Illinois State Police further confirmed this via Facebook, claiming that officers would not revoke the cards it will not revoke cards “based solely on a person’s legal use of adult-use cannabis.”

The caveat: state police say they will confiscate FOIDs in cases where an individual is “addicted to” or a “habitual user of cannabis.” Although it fails to specify exactly how that would be defined.

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