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      "date": "2010-04-02",
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      "title": "Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies",
      "summary": "The issue before Congress is whether to continue the federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers, in accordance with the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), or whether to relax federal marijuana prohibition enough to permit the medicinal use of botanical cannabis products when recommended by a physician, especially where permitted under state law.\nFourteen states, mostly in the West, have enacted laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and many thousands of patients are seeking relief from a variety of serious illnesses by smoking marijuana or using other herbal cannabis preparations.\nTwo bills relating to the therapeutic use of cannabis have been introduced in the 111th Congress. The Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act (H.R. 2835), which would allow the medical use of marijuana in states that permit its use with a doctor\u2019s recommendation, was introduced on June 11, 2009, by Representative Barney Frank. The bill would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II of the CSA and exempt from federal prosecution authorized patients and medical marijuana providers who are acting in accordance with state laws. Also, the Truth in Trials Act (H.R. 3939), a bill that would make it possible for defendants in federal court to reveal to juries that their marijuana activity was medically related and legal under state law, was introduced on October 27, 2009, by Representative Sam Farr.\nFor the first time since District of Columbia residents approved a medical marijuana ballot initiative in 1998, a rider blocking implementation of the initiative was not attached to the D.C. appropriations act for FY2010 (P.L. 111-117), clearing the way for the creation of a medical marijuana program for seriously ill patients in the nation\u2019s capital.\nThe Obama Administration Department of Justice, in October 2009, announced an end to federal raids by the Drug Enforcement Administration of medical marijuana dispensaries that are operating in \u201cclear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws.\u201d This move fulfills a pledge to end such raids that was made by candidate Obama during the presidential campaign.\nClaims and counterclaims about medical marijuana\u2014much debated by journalists and academics, policymakers at all levels of government, and interested citizens\u2014include the following: Marijuana is harmful and has no medical value; marijuana effectively treats the symptoms of certain diseases; smoking is an improper route of drug administration; marijuana should be rescheduled to permit medical use; state medical marijuana laws send the wrong message and lead to increased illicit drug use; the medical marijuana movement undermines the war on drugs; patients should not be arrested for using medical marijuana; the federal government should allow the states to experiment and should not interfere with state medical marijuana programs; medical marijuana laws harm the federal drug approval process; the medical cannabis movement is a cynical ploy to legalize marijuana and other drugs. With strong opinions being expressed on all sides of this complex issue, the debate over medical marijuana does not appear to be approaching resolution.\nThis report will be updated as legislative activity and other developments occur.",
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      "id": "RL33211_2009Jul27",
      "date": "2009-07-27",
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      "id": "RL33211_2009Mar31",
      "date": "2009-03-31",
      "retrieved": "2015-08-27T16:20:31",
      "title": "Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies",
      "summary": "This report discusses the issue before Congress of whether to continue the federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers, in accordance with the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), or whether to relax federal marijuana prohibition enough to permit the medicinal use of botanical cannabis products when recommended by a physician, especially where permitted under state law.",
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          "id": "Drugs",
          "name": "Drugs"
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          "id": "Marijuana -- State laws",
          "name": "Marijuana -- State laws"
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          "id": "Health aspects -- State laws",
          "name": "Health aspects -- State laws"
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          "id": "State and local government",
          "name": "State and local government"
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          "id": "Health policy",
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          "id": "Medicine",
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      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc809667/",
      "id": "RL33211_2008Nov10",
      "date": "2008-11-10",
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      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc822296/",
      "id": "RL33211_2007Dec02",
      "date": "2007-12-02",
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      "id": "RL33211_2007Sep20",
      "date": "2007-09-20",
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      "id": "RL33211_2007Jul27",
      "date": "2007-07-27",
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      "id": "RL33211_2007Jul12",
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      "id": "RL33211_2006Jan13",
      "date": "2006-01-13",
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      "id": "RL33211_2005Dec29",
      "date": "2005-12-29",
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      "title": "Medical Marijuana: Review and Analysis of Federal and State Policies",
      "summary": "This report discusses the issue facing Congress on whether to continue to support the executive branch\u2019s prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers, in accordance with marijuana\u2019s status as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, or whether to relax federal marijuana prohibition enough to permit the medical use of botanical cannabis products by seriously ill persons, especially in states that have created medical marijuana programs under state law.",
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          "id": "Marijuana - Health aspects - State laws",
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