Medicinal marijuana has been debated in both political and medical arenas for years. The medicalization of marijuana and the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes are separate issues. It has been the belief of proponents that it should be structured and governed as separate issues.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that people whose doctors have prescribed marijuana for medical purposes can be arrested and prosecuted, overriding medicinal marijuana statutes in 10 states. The decision does not allow individual state laws to protect medical marijuana users from a federal ban on marijuana.
The case, Gonzales v. Raich, involved California residents Angel Raich and Diane Monson who suffer from a variety of serious medical conditions and sought to avail themselves of medical marijuana pursuant to the terms of the Compassionate Use Act.
- Crackdown on medical marijuana users unlikely (MSNBC)
- Supreme Court allows prosecution of medical marijuana (CNN)
- Marijuana as medicine: Consider the pros and cons (Mayo Clinic)
- Drug Policy Alliance: Medical Marijuana
- Drug Czar: Medical Marijuana No Longer a Political Issue
- More About Medicinal Marijuana
Photo by Dokbob (stock.xchng)
I would like to note that any medication ever prescribed is illegal…when taken WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION! So, my doctor PRESCRIBES me Metformin, a diabetes medication. I should be arrested? It is NOT legal for me to take any drug which has not been prescribed to me, but if someone is prescribed cannabis for a valid medical reason, they can be arrested?
I am still confused on the issue of prosecuting doctors and medical patients for useing and prescribing cannibus. If the politicians today are equiped with a PHd in medicen then i would like to know how it is the doctors WE the people trust to make us better(for lack of a better term) are going to be charged for prescribing a drug which treats diffrent DEADLY illnesses that they belive will help then WHY do they need to become a victim in there practise? If there is only legaly 7 people allowed to recive medicinal marijuna then why do our modern day doctors still prescribe it? I understand that we in our society we cant have two diffrent drugs legally sold (ie, beer,liquor,etc) in the world because it would prove to be utter chaos but if there are people in hte world who NEED cannibus to allow them to eat, sleep, and even tolirate the pain to be able to live in our day and age then who are you the government to charge them for trying to live there lives with as little pain and suffering as possible?
maybe if a few politicians developed cancer and had to go through chemo-therapy and experienced the terrible side effects of the controlled poision they may have a change of heart about using marjjuana to combat the pains and symptoms attributed to chemo