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Court Examines Politics over Science in Medical Marijuana Laws

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Photo by Neeta Lind via Flickr
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A group has sued the federal government for disseminating inaccurate information about medical marijuana. The LA Times points out that although the Obama administration has stated "that science should be guiding government judgments in controversial matters of medicine and technology, not the prevailing political mood," a federal lawyer told the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday that marijuana "has no currently accepted medical use." By law, the government is not allowed to publish false information. In March, General Attorney Eric Holder did stop federal agents from raiding California dispensaries as long as they were following state law.

"The science to support medical marijuana is overwhelming. It's time for the federal government to acknowledge the efficacy of medical marijuana and stop holding science hostage to politics," said Steph Sherer, director of Americans for Safe Access. The government lawyer said they have "countless pieces of information" in its massive archives about the drug.

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