Key Marijuana Case may Lead to Nationwide Reclassification
Marijuana is known as a Schedule I substance in the United States. That means that it is completely worthless, harnesses ‘no medicinal value,’ and is evidently on the same level of heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. But marijuana can actually help treat numerous ailments, which is why the U.S. government has been juggling with its reclassification for decades.
Now, a legal dispute in California is shedding even more light on the issue in Washington, D.C., and could expedite its the plant’s impending reclassification.
Nine men were recently accused of growing marijuana illegally on private and federal land. The men are arguing that the charges of a $10 million fine and life in prison should be dropped because marijuana is inaccurately classified by the U.S. government.
Thankfully, judge Kimberly K. Muller is somewhat in alignment with millions of Americans’ views, stating that she is taking the defenses’ arguments very seriously and promising to deliver a ruling within 30 days. Could this be the case that finally reclassifies what is quickly becoming well known as a healing substance?
“If I were persuaded by the defense’s argument, if I bought their argument, what would you lose here?” she asked prosecutors during closing arguments on the motion to dismiss the cases against the men.
Lawyer Zenia Gilg, who represented defense attorneys for the men, pointed to Congress’ recent decision to ban the Department of Justice from interfering in states’ implementation of their medical marijuana laws as evidence of her contention that the drug’s classification as Schedule One should be overturned.
Even the Obama Administration has unofficially made it part of their policy to neither indict nor raid medical marijuana dispensaries and growers.
“What you’re seeing now is Colorado, Washington through state referenda, they’re experimenting with legal marijuana.
The position of my administration has been that we still have federal laws that classify marijuana as an illegal substance, but we’re not going to spend a lot of resources trying to turn back decisions that have been made at the state level on this issue. My suspicion is that you’re gonna see other states start looking at this.”
The president said in response to a question from YouTube host Hank Green.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Broderick said that it was up to Congress to change the law, not the court.
The defendants, he said, were illegally growing marijuana on federal land.
“They had weapons,” Broderick said. “These guys were not producing medicine.”
“We’re not saying that this is the most dangerous drug in the world,” Broderick said. “All we’re saying is that the evidence is such that reasonable people could disagree.”
There may be more to this case than meets the eye, but it doesn’t change the fact that marijuana does in fact possess what some might argue as exceptional medicinal value – as a plethora of research has showcased.
That, coupled with our constitutional right to handle the drug, is argument enough to reclassify and legalize the drug. After all, at least 23 states feel this way – and that number is growing.
It seems like the government has become a schedule one organization,it’s only function seems to be to repress the people,take their rights away and control every facet of our lives while granting themselves immunity.
I agree that marijuana ought to be legalized, but lets stop pretending marijuana is a wonder drug. The vast majority of people using medical marijuana invented some ailment just so they could smoke with less fear of being busted. It may have some use in treating glaucoma. Even nausea for people getting chemo. But the ailment everyone is using it to treat is sobriety.
Really? And you get your facts from what source? I live in AZ and have known hundreds of the thousands that are under the MMJ act Not one has made up symptoms. As a matter of fact many of us, like myself, don’t even bother because we cannot take advantage of this safe medicine or we will loose much needed pain or anxiety medication and be banned by all future doctors.
I think your OPINION is unjust. You don’ t have any fact behind your statement in all actually if these people as in AZ must show at least 6 months of permitted ailments and signed off by a doctor.
I hate getting high, on pot, wine or any other artificial means but yet if I could do what I should be allowed too, and use cannabis to help with some of my symptoms and side effects I would.
And if people choose go use it to relax and escape for an hour it is so much safer than alcohol, cigerettes, hell drivng, walking using stairs.. ZERO deaths,
How do you figure people who use recreation ally will fade away>? My ex is 63 and has been smoking daily for over 50 yrs. He still enjoys it daily I can count sick days in over 30 yrs on one hand, He is a roofer, works his old ass off.
He is not fading away, he is using to unwind and relax and function after day after day of grinding for most of his life.
He has never raised a hand or voice to me or his children. He has never passed out with puke running down his shirt or driven a car reclessly.
Hope they dont’ fade out..
We use any substance “recreationally”, because we are unable to achieve those results on our own… due to one set of circumstances or another. Myself very included in that statement. As we heal, the need to “alter to unwind” reduces… or fades away. As we heal our culture, we will be able to look to the plant more as nutrition and medicine rather than to fill certain unmet needs.
My comment wasn’t to say that mellow people will fade away, only to be replaced by less mellow people. It was to say that as we become more whole… we will no longer need these things.
Our bodies and minds need to escape. It is not healthy to deal with the realities of our modern world without the opportunity to relax and reload. In all of human history some plant or ale has been used for spiritial connections.
Drinking and beating your wife, or killing a family of four is not healthy and it is associated with death by liver and increases risk of lung cancer among others, cigarettes don’t even need to be explained. Pharmaceuticals are the evil amongst us.. so .. how do you get closer to your peace, your center.. some can meditate into it and that is great but how dare anyone condemn those who choose a God given plant.
You either didn’t read my comment, or completely misunderstood it… a second time now.
Nothing you’ve said contradicts what I explained, other than showing that you keep missing the nuance of it all.