Free Republic
Browse · Search
Smoky Backroom
Topics · Post Article

To: winston2
Why is cannabis use illegal at the U.S. Federal Government level?

Is there a federal law against use? Cite, please.

105 posted on 06/17/2006 4:25:31 PM PDT by Mojave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 103 | View Replies ]


To: Mojave
Why is cannabis use illegal at the U.S. Federal Government level?(winston2)

Is there a federal law against use? Cite, please.

(snip)Tetrahydrocannabinols, the active chemicals contained in Cannabis plants, are Schedule I in the United States. This means it is federally illegal to cultivate, buy, possess, or distribute (sell, trade or give) in all forms (cannabis plants, extracts, hash, hash oil, thc, etc) except synthetic THC (Marinol) which is Schedule III. Marinol was moved from Schedule II to Schedule III in July 1999.
The federal scheduling of Cannabis was disputed in 1988 by Judge Francis Young, an administrative law judge for the DEA, who recommended that marijuana be reclassified as schedule II on the grounds that if a respectable minority of doctors endorse it, then it has a "currently accepted medical use".(snip)
Cannabis Legal Status by Erowid

UNIS/NAR/902
8 June 2005

INCB: US Supreme Court Decision on Cannabis Upholds International Law

VIENNA, 8 June (UN Information Service) -- The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) welcomes the decision of the United States Supreme Court, made on 6 June, reaffirming that the cultivation and use of cannabis, even if it is for “medical” use, should be prohibited.

“INCB has for many years pointed out that the evidence that cannabis might be useful as a medicine is insufficient”, said Professor Hamid Ghodse, President, INCB. “Countries should not authorise the use of cannabis as a medicine until conclusive results based on research are available. Sound scientific evidence for its safety, efficacy and usefulness is required to justify its use in medical practice. Any research into cannabis as a medicine should involve the World Health Organization, as the responsible international health agency.”

INCB has expressed concern that organizations advocating the legalization of cannabis, and of narcotic drugs in general, are using the issue of medical cannabis as a “back door” to legalisation. “Cannabis is the most widely abused drug in the United States and in the world,” Professor Ghodse said. “Cannabis is classified under international conventions as a drug with a number of personal and public health problems. It is not a ‘soft’ drug as some people would have you believe. There is new evidence confirming well-known mental health problems, and some countries with a more liberal policy towards cannabis are reviewing their position. Countries need to take a strong stance towards cannabis abuse.”

In its decision, the United States Supreme Court noted that medical cannabis statutes in California were open to abuse, and even cannabis cultivated for personal use as medicine could end up being supplied to the illicit market.

The Vienna-based INCB is an independent body, established by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs to monitor governments’ compliance with the international drug control treaties. The three treaties are the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Its 13 members are elected by the Economic and Social Council to serve in their individual capacities for a term of five years.

United Nations Information Service

So - We are not so sovereign as I had thought. We are under world domination by no less than the U.N.

112 posted on 06/17/2006 6:33:35 PM PDT by winston2 (In matters of necessity let there be unity, in matters of doubt liberty, and in all things charity:)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 105 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Smoky Backroom
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson