Precisely, and states rights is a tar baby for everyone. That's why the politicians prefer federalizing everything. Allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana sounds good in theory but neither side wants that. The anti-dope people don't want marijuana at all and the pro-dope people don't want restrictions on it. So nothing happens.
If marijuana were prescribed (ie., went through the same process that every other prescribed drug went through) by a licensed physician and dispensed through a licensed pharmacy by a licensed pharmacist, I have no problem with that. Marinol is a good example. Sativex is another.
That's not what's going on here.
But you're right -- nothing happens. And the reason nothing is happening when it comes to medical marijuana is that the supporters are not pursuing an avenue of research, clinical trials, studies, etc. as was done with every other prescribed drug.
No, they want an exception made for theirs. Why? Well, you know as well as I do that this is not about medical marijuana. It's about the legalization of recreational marijuana.