Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) introduced legislation in Congress on June 3, 1997, to provide for the medical use of marijuana. The bill is cited as House Bill 1782, the “Medical Use of Marijuana Act.” The bill is expected to be referred to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime. That committee is chaired by Rep. Bill McCollum (R-Fla.), a two-time former co-sponsor of medical marijuana legislation.
House Bill 1782 reschedules marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II under federal law, thereby making it legal to prescribe. Rescheduling marijuana allows states to legally implement different systems for growing and distributing medical marijuana on a state-by-state basis. It also removes the threat of federal prosecution physicians currently face in states that already allow doctors to prescribe or recommend marijuana under state law. Presently, 24 states including the District of Columbia have laws endorsing the use of medical marijuana.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) signed on to the legislation yesterday.
For more information, please contact either Keith Stroup or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500. Rep. Barney Frank’s office may be contacted at (202) 225-5931.