Medical Marijuana: Sanity Finally Prevails

In a blow for common sense and decency, the Obama Justice Department has announced that it won't go after users or suppliers of medical marijuana who comply with state laws.

Medical marijuana is now legal in 14 states and several more are considering decriminalizing use for users who have prescriptions for the evil weed.

There is ample evidence that smoked marijuana eases nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy and other crippling treatments and helps mitigate the effects of AIDS wasting and glaucoma. There also is plenty of evidence that with the vast majority of users, marijuana is not a so-called gateway drug. Yet under the Bush administration, FDA and DEA opposed any use of medical marijuana, including in the states that have legalized its use as a result of voter initiatives, and asserted that it has no benefits whatsoever.

The Obama administration has not done an 180-degree turn, but the new DoJ directive is a welcome move in the right direction that my long-suffering father would have applauded.

Photograph by Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via AP