Americans for Safe Access Appeals Cannabis Prohibition to United States Supreme Court

Americans for Safe Access Appeals Cannabis Prohibition to United States Supreme Court

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) – one of the world’s largest medical cannabis advocacy groups – has filed a “petition for writ of certiorari” (an appeal) to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the goal of getting them to consider the constitutionality of maintaining cannabis as a schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning that it has “no medical value”.

The appeal is in response to a circuit court decision in January (ASA V. Drug Enforcement Administration), in which the court ruled – in a 2 to 1 vote – that cannabis belongs as a schedule 1 drug. With this appeal, ASA hopes that the Supreme Court will examine the issue for themselves; ASA stands behind the fact that cannabis has vast medical value, which hundreds of scientific studies have indicates.

“To deny that sufficient evidence is lacking on the medical efficacy of marijuana is to ignore a mountain of well-documented studies that conclude otherwise,” stated ASA’s Chief Counsel Joe Elford.

If the court decides to take up the issue, and rules in favor of Americans for Safe Access, cannabis could be deschedule, or at least rescheduled throughout the nation. The court also has the option of letting the lower-court ruling stand.

– TheJointBlog