11th state legalizes medical marijuana
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/03/RI....ap/index.html Quote:
Rhode Island on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the first since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that patients who use the drug can still be prosecuted under federal law.
The House overrode a veto by Gov. Don Carcieri, 59-13, allowing people with illnesses such as cancer and AIDS to grow up to 12 marijuana plants or buy 2.5 ounces of marijuana to relieve their symptoms. Those who do are required to register with the state and get an identification card.
Federal law prohibits any use of marijuana. However, Maine, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington allow it to be grown and used for medicinal purposes.
The U.S. high court ruled June 6 that people who smoke marijuana because their doctors recommend it can still be prosecuted under federal drug laws, even if their states allow it.
Federal authorities, however, have conceded they are unlikely to prosecute many medicinal marijuana users.
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OPINION: Yes, the federal authorities are more prone to just perform raids, seize records and plants, terrorize the sick and dying, and then pretend like it never happened. You only have to worry about prosecution if you're one of the more vocal opponents of this madness. If you watch the video clip that goes with this article, there are some rather naive people interviewed who express doubt that the federal government would actually do something so heinous. If they kept up on the news from the West coast however, they might be a bit more worried.
Seriously, though, this is pretty groundbreaking stuff. Most medical marijuana laws have been forced to get passed through voter initiatives, but this one came about through the state legislature, and over the veto of a governor seemingly out of touch with reality. I can only wonder how much longer this can go on before Congress decides to take another look at the ridiculousness of the current federal schedule of marijuana.