Maurice Hinchey: “This amendment is a simple limitation that would prevent the Justice Department from using any of the funds appropriated…”

“This amendment is a simple limitation that would prevent the Justice Department from using any of the funds appropriated to it by this bill to interfere with the implementation of State medical marijuana laws. During the past 5 years, nine States, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington State, have passed laws that decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. With the exception of Hawaii, all of these laws were adopted by citizen referenda. The average vote in these States was in excess of 60 percent in favor. These laws are not free-for-alls that open the door to wholesale legalization, as critics claim. Rather, in every case, they specify in great detail the illnesses for which patients may use medical marijuana, the amounts that patients may possess, and the conditions under which it can be grown and obtained. Most establish a State registry and an I.D. card for patients. Federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic with no permissible medical use. Despite the difficulty of conducting clinical trials on such a drug, it has been highly effective in treating symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and other serious medical conditions. In fact, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has recommending smoking marijuana for certain medical uses.”