Is Medical Marijuana Legal Or Not?

WASHINGTON, D.C.—

President Obama`s Justice Department says medical marijuana dispensaries could face prosecution and that cannabis is a drug in the same class as heroin.

Recently, Deputy Attorney General James Cole wrote a policy memo to federal prosecutors that states: All marijuana use and commerce is illegal under the Controlled Substance Act even if they are following state laws. And 16 states are ok with medical marijuana.

What, so state laws don`t matter anymore?

Anyone remember what President Obama said during his campaign in 2008 regarding medical marijuana?

Just in case you forgot, he said that his Justice Department would not prioritize prosecution of medical marijuana facilities operating legally under state law.

“I have more of a practical view than anything else. I mean my attitude is if, if it`s an issue of doctors prescribing medical marijuana as a treatment for glaucoma or as a cancer treatment, I think that should be appropriate because there is really no difference between that and a doctor prescribing morphine or anything else,” said President Obama.

Even in February of 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder reiterated what the President had promised during his campaign.

“What he said during the campaign will and is American policy,” said Holder.

Why the about face?

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has ruled that marijuana has not accepted medical use and should therefore remain illegal under federal law, regardless of state legislation allowing medical marijuana.

Not only does this decision conflict with state laws, it also contradicts with a report by the Institute of Medicine which indicates.

The potential therapeutic values of medical marijuana, primarily THC, are for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation.

How about this…have someone in the Obama Administration put themselves in the shoes of a dying cancer patient going through rounds of chemotherapy, suddenly without a certain prescribed medication, and see if that will open their eyes.

Top 10 Reasons To Legalize Marijuana

http://www.rehab-programs.org

Medical marijuana: 137,556 patient applications received, 69% of approved applicants are male

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/05/medical_marijuana_137556_applications.php

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has released the latest data about medical marijuana patients in the state, and the numbers are fascinating. As of March 31, the most recent date available, 137,556 people have applied to the patient registry, and 123,890 — most of them male — have valid registry ID cards.

Among the cliches exploded by the digits is the theory that the registry is dominated with teens and twenty-somethings who are faking medical problems in order to purchase weed legally. According to the CDPHE, the average age of a patient in Colorado is forty — 39 for men, 42 for women. Moreover, only forty patients in the entire state are minors, meaning that they’re younger than age eighteen. Males represent 69 percent of all registry-card holders.

Another surprising statistic involves doctors who’ve suggested that patients try cannabis to address their medical conditions. More than 1,100 doctors in the state have written MMJ recommendations — a greater number than many observers would have likely predicted.

The vast majority of patients — 56 percent — live in the Denver metro area, which includes Boulder. But patients can be found in virtually every corner of the state, including some of Colorado’s least populous counties: sixteen in Kiowa County, nineteen in Jackson County, 35 in Lincoln County. Most list severe pain as a qualifying condition, with smaller numbers citing muscle spasms, nausea, cancer, HIV/AIDS, etc. Around 63 percent have designated a primary caregiver.

Look below to see the county-by-county patient breakdown, plus totals involving conditions and user characteristics:

Table 1: County Information:

Table 2: Conditions:

Table 3: User Characteristics: