CALIFORNIA: RULING ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

A federal appeals court ruled that a law outlawing marijuana may not
apply to sick people with a doctor's recommendation in states that
have medical marijuana laws. The United States Court of Appeals for
the Ninth Circuit said prosecuting these medical marijuana users under
a 1970 federal law was unconstitutional if the marijuana was not sold,
transported across state lines or used for nonmedicinal purposes. The
finding was a blow to the Justice Department, which argued that state
medical marijuana laws were trumped by the Controlled Substances Act
of 1970. Eight other states have laws similar to California's. (AP)