Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Quinnipiac Law Review

Publication Date

2009

Abstract

The road to marijuana prohibition is paved with prejudice, hysteria, and the outright rejection of science and rationality. Despite its proven medical value, marijuana remains misclassified under federal law, misrepresented and misunderstood by most of our drug policy makers. Seizing their role as innovators in our federalist system, California and twelve other states have declared their support for the many doctors and patients who believe in the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. The conflict between the federal government and the states on medical marijuana is a study in “cultural federalism,” the experience of citizenship in a divided polity. Whether the medical marijuana movement is destined for destruction by an omnivorous War on Drugs, or whether it eventually achieves legalization, it challenges us to become informed citizens of a new political, moral, and scientific era.

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