The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, was the first law that prohibited marijuana. Some protested it then and many more do now. Then, decades later, the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 placed all illegal and prescription drugs into five “schedules” or categories. Marijuana ended up in Schedule I, defining the substance as having: a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medicinal use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of safety for use under medical supervision. This does not apply to marijuana at all. Unfortunately, at the time the act was put into action, marijuana h

Those who suffer have tried over the years to work through the systems of the judicial branch and the FDA. These efforts have proved fruitless, and in the meantime people continue to suffer. Congress has the power and the responsibility to change the existing federal laws so that people who are suffering severely can find help without the fear of punishment or prosecution.

There are countless numbers of stories that impart unfortunate circumstances concerning ill people using marijuana. One particular story is about a man named Peter McWilliams, the author of the book Ain’t Nobody’s Business if You Do, and is a severely ill AIDS patient. He was charged with growing marijuana for public distribution and while awaiting trial was forbidden to employ the helpful substance. The same substance that he used to keep the nausea he felt from his AIDS medication under control. During this time, his condition deteriorated and he was eventually confined to a wheelchair and slept eighteen hours a day. There are others like McWilliams who would benefit tremendously from the medicinal uses of marijuana. Alas, it is still federal law that prevents these people from getting the help they desperately need.

The current public opinion is in huge support of ending the prohibition of marijuana. Since 1996, a majority of voters in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, have voted in favor of adding to the ballot, the idea of removing the criminal penalties for seriously ill people who grow or possess medical marijuana. This however, due to federal opposition, is still not the practice of these states. You can still be arrested in all fifty states for growing or selling the substance. However, in these states mentioned, there is an enormous gray area

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