You’re sick. Someone offers you marijuana, saying that it will alleviate your suffering. Do you take it? Many patients and doctors have insisted that marijuana is uniquely beneficial, while others say the dangers of cannabis far outweigh the benefits. We know that marijuana is a drug, but is it a medicine?
Marijuana is not prescribed by medical professionals because it is currently registered as a Schedule I substance with the Controlled Substances Act. Any Schedule I drug cannot be prescribed by a physician or other medical professional. Yet, there are hundreds of physicians across the country that disagree with the outmoded FDA position that marijuana has no medical value, and are recommending marijuana to their patients.
The ability of physicians to recommend marijuana to patients that clearly benefit from its therapeutic properties is a First Amendment Right, protected by the federal landmark case Conant v. Walters. As such, hundreds of thousands of patients across the country are able to access medical marijuana. Furthermore, twelve states have passed laws that protect patients and providers from criminal sanctions, as long as they possess a recommendation from a physician.
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