Eduard Boguslavsky December 4, 2013

State Marijuana Laws and Legislative Reform

Approximately 40% o America!s live i! states t"at "ave legali#ed medical mari$ua!a, but t"e ederal gover!me!t co!ti!ues to prosecute i!dividuals a!d orga!i#atio!s i! complia!ce %it" state la%s& '"e ederal gover!me!t must remove t"e legal ambiguity patie!ts a!d t"eir caretakers ace& '"is %ill re(uire legislatio! t"at allo%s states to respo!d to t"e !eeds o t"eir co!stitue!ts %it"out co!tradicti!g ederal la%& )o%ever, !e% legislatio! s"ould %ork to mi!imi#e t"e i!creases i! mari$ua!a abuse a!d adolesce!t i!itiatio!& 21 states a!d *as"i!gto!, D&+& allo% medical mari$ua!a, a!d t%o "ave rece!tly legali#ed mari$ua!a or recreatio!al use& '"ese states are acti!g o! be"al o t"e people,s %ill- more t"a! "al %ere passed by ballot propositio!s& .!der t"e +o!trolled /ubsta!ces Act 0+/A1, mari$ua!a is classi ied as a /c"edule 2 substa!ce& .!der t"e +/A t"e executive bra!c" is gra!ted t"e aut"ority co!duct e! orceme!t agai!st a!d prosecute a!y America! cultivati!g, distributi!g, or possessi!g mari$ua!a& '"is is exactly %"at "as bee! "appe!i!g, i! t"e orm o DEA raids a!d D34 cease a!d desist letters to medical mari$ua!a dispe!saries, despite state la%s allo%i!g suc" activity& '"e D34 "as stated t"at it %ould !ot ocus its limited resources o! mari$ua!a i! ractio!s as lo!g as t"eir 5 e! orceme!t priorities are met& )o%ever, does !ot provide America!s complia!t %it" state la% a!d t"e 5 priorities a de e!se i! case o legal actio!& Additio!ally, i!dividual D34 attor!eys are !ot bou!d by t"e memo a!d are ree to prosecute a!y violators o t"e +/A& 2 t"is curre!t tre!d co!ti!ues, t"e D34 is likely to co!ti!ue reduci!g its prosecutio! o mari$ua!a o e!ders& )o%ever, t"ere is !o certai!ty, a!d ordi!ary America!s, some o %"om may be su eri!g, s"ould !ot "ave to be a!xious about t"e ederal gover!me!t& '"oug" t"e +/A gives t"e DEA t"e ability to c"a!ge or remove t"e sc"edule o drugs, it "as decli!ed to do so despite !umerous petitio!s& 2t is claimed t"at eve! i t"e abuse pote!tial o 6ari$ua!a is !ot very "ig", it ca!!ot "ave medical applicatio!s because o its crude orm& 3! t"e ot"er "a!d, 6ari!ol, sy!t"etic ')+ 0a primary psyc"oactive compou!d i! mari$ua!a1 is /c"edule 222 u!der t"e +/A& Despite its sta!ce o! mari$ua!a e! orceme!t, t"e Departme!t o )ealt" a!d )uma! /ervices is t"e assig!ee o pate!t 7,730,809, %"ic" states t"at ca!!abi!oids 0a class o compou!ds derived rom mari$ua!a1 are use ul i! t"e treatme!t o !umerous diseases, i!cludi!g Al#"eimer,s disease, :arki!so!,s disease a!d )2; deme!tia& Additio!ally, t"e <atio!al 2!stitute o Drug Abuse still admi!isters mari$ua!a to a closed group o patie!ts t"at %ere gra!d at"er i!to t"e +ompassio!ate 2!vestigatio!al <e% Drug :rogram& 2! lig"t o t"e relucta!ce o t"e executive bra!c" to do a%ay %it" mari$ua!a pro"ibitio! o! its o%! terms, +o!gress must act to give state la%makers co! ide!ce t"at t"ey ca! represe!t t"e !eeds o t"eir co!stitue!ts& +o!gress s"ould remove mari$ua!a rom t"e +/A a!d set regulatio!s or ederal e! orceme!t& )&=& 4>> proposes t"at it be treated like alco"ol& '"is is misguided, i mari$ua!a ca! be cultivated a!d sold %it"out limitatio!, it %ill drive producers to market t"e drug more aggressively& 2t %ill also allo% t"e price to drop drastically, as it is a! e icie!t crop& 6ari$ua!a,s arti icially "ig" price is t"e result o pro"ibitio! a!d its e! orceme!t& 2 mari$ua!a becomes legal to sell a!d advertise, a!d experie!ces a all i! its price, abuse o t"e drug a!d

adolesce!t i!itiatio! %ill i!crease& '"ere ore, )&=& 4>> s"ould be revised to remove mari$ua!a rom t"e +/A, but place limits o! its commercial sale a!d large?scale cultivatio!&