Advocates of medicinal marijuana suffered another setback in their attempts to have the drug classified as legal for medicinal use nationally as the US government came down emphatically saying that there is no valid medical purpose for marijuana!
As with anything dealing with the government, this proclamation took time. The decision by the DEA comes almost nine years after medical marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify cannabis to take into account a growing body of research that shows its effectiveness in treating certain diseases.
Marijuana has been approved by California, many other states and the nation's capital to treat a range of illnesses, but in a decision announced Friday the federal government ruled that it has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin and cocaine
Marijuana Advocates Smoking Mad
Advocates for the medical use of the drug criticized the ruling but were elated that the Obama administration has finally acted, which allows them to appeal to the federal courts. The decision to deny the request was made by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and comes less than two months after advocates asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to force the administration to respond to their petition.
Joe Elford, the chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access and the lead attorney on the lawsuit said he was not surprised by the decision, which comes after the Obama administration announced it would not tolerate large-scale commercial marijuana cultivation.
"It is clearly motivated by a political decision that is anti-marijuana," he said. He noted that studies demonstrate pot has beneficial effects, including appetite stimulation for people undergoing chemotherapy. "One of the things people say about marijuana is that it gives you the munchies and the truth is that it does, and for some people that's a very positive thing."
I, for one, am against medical marijuana – especially as the laws now stand. I live in a state where it is legal for medicinal purposes and from what I have seen, a high majority – my guesstimate is 90% - have a prescription and all marijuana really does for these individuals is legalize and legitimize their drug addiction!