Supreme Court Rules against Medical Marijuana May 15, 2001
News Summary
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court said that Congress has determined that marijuana has no medical value, undercutting a cannabis buyer's club's attempt to seek protection from prosecution by arguing a medical-necessity defense, the Associated Press reported May 14."In the case of the Controlled Substances Act, the statute reflects a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception outside the confines of a government-approved research project," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in rejecting the arguments offered by the Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative.
The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court after the federal government sought an injunction in 1998 against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative and five other marijuana distributors in California.
California, Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington all have voter-approved medical-marijuana laws.
"It is clear from the text of the act that Congress has made a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception," Thomas wrote. "Unwilling to view this omission as an accident, and unable in any event to override a legislative determination manifest in a statute, we reject the cooperative's argument."
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