Is marijuana legal for medical use?
No. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act and is defined as having “no accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.” Possession of Schedule I drugs is illegal and the drugs in Schedule I are available for research purposes only. State Laws Many states have enacted laws which recognize marijuana’s medical utility and have attempted to create federally approved research programs which would allow citizens to gain legal access to the drug. Sadly the federal government made these programs almost impossible to implement. Currently there are no state programs of legal access to marijuana for medical purposes. In 1996, California and Arizona passed statewide voter initiatives that “legalize” marijuana for medical purposes in those states. The Arizona initiative was overturned by the state legislature. The California law has been severely tested by federal authorities who have threatened to arrest doctors who even discuss marijuana’s medical use
