Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington and Republican Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island petitioned the federal government today to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances and allow its legal distribution for medical use.
In a 106-page filing with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the two governors seek to reclassify cannabis for medical use from an illegal Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule II narcotic that can be legally obtained.
Washington and Rhode Island are among 16 states which allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes. But growing, selling and possessing marijuana is a federal crime.
“The divergence in state and federal law creates a situation where there is no regulated and safe system to supply legitimate patients who may need medical cannabis. State and local governments cannot adopt a regulatory framework to ensure a safe supply is available for – and limited to – legitimate medical use without putting their employees at risk of violating federal law,” the governors wrote in a letter accompanying their petition.
“More to the point, it is clear that the long-standing classification of medical use of cannabis in the United States as an illegal Schedule I substance is fundamentally wrong and should be changed.”
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