POT DECISION

Ruling Offers Glimmer Of Hope To Users Of Medicinal Marijuana

The state Supreme Court provided some welcome relief for sick people
Thursday with its unanimous ruling in support of medicinal marijuana.

It's been six years since voters approved Proposition 215, an initiative
that legalized the use of medical pot for those who have a doctor's
prescription. But given the contradictions that exist between state and
federal law on pot use, little progress has been made since then in getting
medical marijuana into the hands of those who need it most.

The ruling tosses out the conviction of a blind diabetic man from Tuolumne
County who was found to have 31 marijuana plants growing in his front yard.
Although the man had a prescription, he was convicted of a felony.

The ruling still leaves great ambiguity over the issue of medical
marijuana. The federal government has stubbornly refused to grant any
exception for such use and continues to rank marijuana among the nation's
most addictive drugs.

But state courts are required to abide by this Supreme Court ruling, which
means many of those suffering from glaucoma, AIDS or other afflictions who
rely on medical marijuana won't be forced to make a choice of life or jail
- -- at least for the time being.