cannabisnews.com: Court: Let Congress Legalize It Court: Let Congress Legalize It Posted by CN Staff on June 06, 2005 at 21:10:48 PT By Joan Biskupic, USA Today Source: USA Today Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. government may prosecute sick people who use marijuana under a doctor's prescription to ease pain, the Supreme Court ruled Monday. The justices said a federal ban on the drug trumps laws that protect such patients. The court's 6-3 decision came in an emotionally charged case that tested "medical marijuana" laws in California and nine other states intended to protect patients who use marijuana for medicinal purposes. The case pitted patients with cancer, AIDS and other serious illnesses who say marijuana eases their pain against the U.S. government and its desire to prevent illegal drug trafficking. It also was a test for a Supreme Court that generally has favored states' rights over federal authority. The ruling does not overturn California's 1996 law or the other laws, but it cancels their provisions that exempt medical users from federal prosecution. It also leaves the future of medicinal marijuana with the Justice Department, which must decide how aggressively to pursue patients, and with Congress, which could change U.S. law to allow medical marijuana.Federal prosecutions make up a tiny percentage of marijuana charges nationally, but the Bush administration says enforcement of marijuana laws is a priority and insists the drug has no medicinal value. The Republican-led Congress has shown no sign of passing a medical marijuana law. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/congress.htmSource: USA Today (US)Author: Joan Biskupic, USA TodayPublished: June 6, 2005Copyright: 2005 USA Today, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.Contact: editor usatoday.comWebsite: http://www.usatoday.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Angel Raich v. Ashcroft Newshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/raich.htm Justices Uphold Federal Marijuana Prosecutionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20787.shtmlA Defeat For Users Of Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20786.shtmlFederal Law Trumps State Approval of Pothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20785.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #6 posted by AgaetisByrjun on June 07, 2005 at 06:11:31 PT Court: Let Them Eat Cake (nt) no text [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on June 06, 2005 at 22:34:02 PT Hope Thank you for the article. I don't think I have much energy left to have to snip another article or I'd post it. I don't know where this will take us but I can't recall this much news ever on anything concerning Cannabis. Maybe our days in a sort of limbo will be over soon. I sure HOPE so! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Hope on June 06, 2005 at 22:21:04 PT This also in USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-06-06-marijuana-edit_x.htmCourt's ruling on marijuana reeks of 'reefer madness' [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Patrick on June 06, 2005 at 21:53:38 PT Impressive poll numbers I’ve been in a funk all day since I heard of this decision. These poll numbers are very impressive and encouraging. This decision, I believe, just made the federal government look like the prohibitionist evil empire that we all have known and come to love. It has made it abundantly clear that we as a nation cage our adults for using a plant called cannabis even with a doctor’s approval. People by as much as 93% in one of the polls disagree with a law that does that! Can we be looking at the Promised Land because of this particular decision?Maybe just maybe we can now actually get somewhere and get our laws corrected??? Ask every politician running for any office if they support caging people for using cannabis as medicine. If they say yes then they’ll loose their election according to these numbers. If they say no, we should not jail adult patients and doctors that consider cannabis therapy then they will easily win the popular vote and perhaps we will finally get our laws changed at the federal level where this whole damn problem started some seventy odd years ago in the first place? Perhaps? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 06, 2005 at 21:22:46 PT USA Today Poll Should patients be allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes?Current Results:Yes under any circumstance -- 43%Yes with a doctor's prescription -- 42%Only in extreme circumstances -- 6%Almost never -- 2%No -- 8%TOTAL VOTES: 2613Please Vote: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-06-medical-marijuana_x.htm?csp=34 [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by The GCW on June 06, 2005 at 21:19:55 PT 2 POLLS Vote here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8118359/ Should the federal government prosecute medical marijuana users, now that it has been given the OK by the Supreme Court? * 69575 responses Yes 10% No 88% I'm not sure 2%&&&&LOU DOBBS TONIGHT QUICKVOTE Do you believe the federal government should prosecute doctors who prescribe medical marijuana? Current Results: Yes -- 7% No -- 93% Total: 3264 votes http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment