A SENSIBLE DRUG RULING

Marijuana: Doctors no longer need to fear advising patients.

One of the most Orwellian aspects of federal drug policy was shot down this
week when the Supreme Court upheld the right of doctors to discuss the
possible benefits of medical marijuana with their patients. Next, the courts
and Congress should force the federal government to abandon the other
hurtful, dangerous, and flat- out-wrong aspects of their misguided drug
policy as well.

In the seven years since California voters overwhelmingly approved
Proposition 215, the federal government has refused to acknowledge the right
of this state's voters to sanction the use of marijuana for medical reasons.

The feds have cracked down in a number of Draconian ways, shutting down
clinics and arresting distributors who should have been protected under 215.
One of the most offensive federal attacks, though, was threatening doctors
with jail time for the mere suggestion that marijuana could be an effective,
relatively benign treatment and pain reliever for some of their patients
with AIDS, cancer and other chronic diseases.

Thankfully that will no longer be a problem in California and the eight
other states have approved similar medical marijuana laws. The Supreme Court
rejected the Bush administration's appeal of a California appeals court
ruling that supported doctors' rights of free speech.

It was an encouraging display of ideological unity: the conservative Supreme
Court upholding a ruling by the liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The
issue has support from the right and the left, and the majority of voters in
nine states. So why are drug warriors in the White House still clinging to
the politically driven Nixon-era policies that incorrectly classify
marijuana as having no medical benefits?

This week's ruling injected a much needed dose of sanity into the federal
government's misguided fight against medical marijuana. It is past time for
the federal government to drop it entirely. If not, more court decisions
like this one, and perhaps congressional efforts as well, will eventually
build a wall between the federal government and compassionate states that
wish to allow their sick and dying to use whatever medicines will best help
them.