Governor Signs Petition to DEA on Medical Marijuana

Our illustrious Governor, along with the Governor of Rhode Island, has asked the DEA to reclassify marijuana to better mesh federal and state law enforcement.

Anyone paying attention can see that the conflict between federal and state laws on marijuana is a continuing sore point. When our police officers find marijuana on a person, it is equivalent to finding a prescription drug – there may or may not be consequences, depending on quantity and whether there is a prescription in place. At the same time, federal agents would see it as a crime, perhaps even a felony.

The difference in classification comes from how the DEA and other federal agencies rate a substance. Since marijuana is classified as DEA Schedule I, it comes under the “no legitimate medical use” and is in the same category as LSD or heroin. The petition signed by Governor Gregoire seeks to change that.

Of course, there are other parties, besides the DEA involved. While the mandate of the DEA is enforcement, tracking and regulation of scheduled drugs, whether or not a substance is legal has other stakeholders. The FDA has input as well as Congress (by way of legislation). However, getting the DEA to alter the status of marijuana would directly impact enforcement.

Notably, the wholesale smuggling or selling of marijuana without a prescription would continue. It is, after all, illegal to sell Oxycontin or other prescription narcotic outside of the medical supply chain. Agreement by the DEA would bring federal enforcement closer to what we have now in the state. Of course, states where medical marijuana is still illegal might have to add laws prohibiting the sale in their state – perhaps trading the current set of problems for another.

More on this story can be found at Yahoo News.