JUSTICE ASKS COURT TO REVIEW POT RULING

The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday asked a federal appeals court to
reconsider a ruling that could allow seriously ill individuals to use
marijuana without being prosecuted.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month told a federal judge to
rethink his order last year that closed down some Northern California
medical marijuana clubs,and consider an exemption for those who face
imminent harm without the drug.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer,who has vowed to uphold a
successful state initiative allowing seriously ill persons to use
marijuana, had asked the Justice Department not to appeal the ruling.
Federal Prosecutors have repeatedly argued that Congress has declared
marijuana to be a dangerous controlled substance that has no medical purpose.