top
Drug War
Drug War
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Sun Nov 21 2004
California Medicinal Marijuana Before Supreme Court
Raich, et al v. Ashcroft, et al Sees Supreme Court on November 29th
November 29, 2004: Angel McClary Raich is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the federal government from cutting off her access to marijuana, which she uses under a doctor's recommendation to treat the physical manifestations of an inoperable brain tumor and wasting disease. In addition to Raich, who is from Oakland, the co-plaintiffs in this case include Diane Monson of Oroville in Butte County, who has severe back pain and muscle spasms, and two caregivers. Both women rely on medicinal use of cannabis in order to make it through each day. The case could affect the status of medical marijuana patients all over the United States. California is one of 10 states that now allow people to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, but the federal government has never shown signs of agreeing that marijuana has valid medicinal properties.

Background: "The federal government's view is that Congress passed a law in 1970 strictly regulating the possession and distribution of marijuana. Because the law, the Controlled Substances Act, made no exception for medicinal use of marijuana, that should be the end of the matter, the government contends. The Supreme Court sided with the government three years ago in an 8-0 decision that was a setback for Raich and other California residents who depend on marijuana for medical treatments. Now she is back with a new legal challenge to the government's position." The court first heard arguments in the case on November 29th, and a decision will likely come in the spring. There was an informational picket in San Francisco from 12pm to 1pm at the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on the 29th.

In May of this year, Raich and Monson, along with their caregivers, were granted a preliminary injunction based on last December's U.S. Court of Appeals decision that the arrest and prosecution of medical cannabis patients is unconstitutional, so long as they obtain the drug without buying it or crossing state borders and use it medicinally in compliance with state law. Read more
Indybay Coverage of December, 2003 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Decision
Angel Raich's Website
2024-03-20 Victory! EFF Helps Indybay Resist San Francisco Police Warrant and Gag Order Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Media Activism & Independent Media | San Francisco2024-02-09 Catholic Anti-Choice Marchers Get an Earful from Abortion Rights Activists in San Francisco Front Page | Health, Housing & Public Services | Womyn | San Francisco | South Bay | U.S.2024-01-10 Wall of Shipping Containers Intended to Keep the Public Out of People's Park Front Page | Police State & Prisons | Environment & Forest Defense | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | East Bay | California2023-12-08 Largest Ever Pro-Palestine Marches in NorCal Demand End to US Aid for Israel's War on Gaza Front Page | Anti-War | Central Valley | San Francisco | South Bay | Peninsula | U.S. | International | Palestine | Santa Cruz Indymedia2023-10-31 Three Activists Detained at Climate Protest for Crossing Beale Air Force Base Gate Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Anti-War | Central Valley | California | U.S.2023-09-29 California Climate Justice Actions in Coordination with Massive New York City March Front Page | Environment & Forest Defense | Central Valley | California2023-08-19 Environmentalists Speak Out Against Airport Expansion as Climate Disasters Accelerate Environment & Forest Defense | East Bay2023-08-12 Starbucks Bus Tour Stops in San Francisco, Rallies with Allies to Support Unionization Labor & Workers | San Francisco | Peninsula | California | U.S.2023-07-19 Halt to Fossil Fuel Funding Demanded as Wells Fargo Operations Shut Down Environment & Forest Defense | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | San Francisco | U.S.2023-07-13 Demonstrations Wrack France, Boiling Over After Police Murder of Youth Police State & Prisons | Health, Housing & Public Services | Global Justice & Anti-Capitalism | LGBTI / Queer | International | Government & Elections | Immigrant Rights2023-07-02 A Call for Pride to Return to its Roots as a Riot in Defense of LGBTQ+ Rights Health, Housing & Public Services | LGBTI / Queer | Womyn | San Francisco
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$110.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network