RULING CAN'T RESCIND MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS

In response to all of the recent news coverage about the medical marijuana
Supreme Court case heard on March 28, it's important to highlight that the
court's ruling cannot "overturn" state medical marijuana laws.

United States vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative deals exclusively
with federal law and is essentially limited to distribution issues. This
case does not question a state's constitutional right to allow patients to
grow, possess, and use medical marijuana under state law.

Because nearly 99 percent of all marijuana arrests in the nation are made
by state and local (not federal) officials, properly worded state laws can
effectively protect 99 out of every 100 medical marijuana users who
otherwise would have been arrested and prosecuted. And 99 percent is an
"A+" no matter what the Supreme Court rules in the Oakland case.

Since 1996, eight states have removed criminal penalties for patients who
use, possess, and grow medical marijuana with their doctors' approval. It's
time for state legislatures in the other 42 states to do the same.

Alvin Miller

Greeley