Though the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I
Controlled Substance and bans its use for medical purposes, a growing
number of states feel differently. Today, 18 states and Washington,
D.C., have legalized medical marijuana for people suffering from
debilitating medical conditions like cancer, epilepsy, severe nausea,
multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. And on Tuesday, Colorado and
Washington State voted to legalize marijuana for adult use, regardless
of medical condition. But these states cannot stop the federal
government from enforcing its own laws.
And federal drug laws are unjustifiably extreme. Consider the case of
Chris Williams, the subject of this Op-Doc video, who opened a marijuana
grow house in Montana after the state legalized medical cannabis. Mr.
Williams was eventually arrested by federal agents despite Montana’s
medical marijuana law, and he may spend the rest of his life behind
bars. While Jerry Sandusky got a 30-year minimum sentence for raping
young boys, Mr. Williams is looking at a mandatory minimum of more than
80 years for marijuana charges and for possessing firearms during a
drug-trafficking offense.
This is an op-ed from the NY Times. Tom
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