CNN - Weed Wars - State laws on marijuana as medicine

Facts and quotes on
America's most commonly
used illicit drug
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S t a t e L a w s o n M a r i j u a n a
(I n A l p h a b e t i c a l O r d e r)

Alabama - Alaska - Arizona - Arkansas California - Colorado - Connecticut - Delaware Florida - Georgia - Hawaii - Idaho Illinois - Iowa - Kansas - Kentucky Louisiana - Maine - Massachusetts - Maryland Minnesota - Montana - Nevada - New Hampshire North Dakota - New Mexico - New York - North Carolina Ohio - Oklahoma - Pennsylvania - South Dakota South Carolina - Rhode Island - Tennessee - Texas Utah - Vermont - Virginia - Washington Wyoming - West Virginia - Wisconsin

A l a b a m a

Bill approved: July 1979

Current status: Still in effect

HIghlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma or cancer chemotherapy

A l a s k a

Bill approved: January 1983

Current status: Repealed 1986

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substance therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, radiology, or other disease groups

A r i z o n a

Bill (Proposition 200) approved: November. 1996

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Require persons on drugs committing violent crimes to serve entire sentence; provide parole/probation and treatment as alternative to incarceration for persons convicted only of personal possession of controlled substance on first two offenses; allows doctors to prescribe otherwise illegal substances for certain patients; creates drug-related fund and commission.

A r k a n s a s

Bill approved: April 1981

Current status: Repealed 1987

Highlights: Allows licensed physicians to prescribe and administer THC capsules, pills, or injections for the treatment of cancer and other purposes

C a l i f o r n i a

Bill (Proposition 215) approved: November. 1996

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Allows patients to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medicinal use providing a physician approves it.

C o l o r a d o

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: April 1995

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic use program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, or other disease groups.

C o n n e c t i c u t

Bill approved: July 1981

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Licenses physicians to possess prescribe and marijuana for patients suffering from glaucoma or cancer chemotherapy; makes no provisions for the marijuana supply

D e l a w a r e

No medicinal marijuana laws

District of Columbia:

Bill approved: August 1981

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Reschedules marijuana as Schedule V when used for medical use

F l o r i d a

Bill approved: June 1978

Current status: Repealed 1984

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from cancer chemotherapy

G e o r g i a

Bill approved: February 1980

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma and cancer chemotherapy

H a w a i i

No marijuana medicinal laws

I d a h o

No marijuana medicinal laws

I n d i a n a

No marijuana medicinal laws

I l l i n o i s

Bill approved: September 1978

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program; allows doctors to use and prescribe marijuana for glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, and other medically necessary procedures; authorizes physicians to purchase marijuana from the Department of Law Enforcement

I o w a

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Reschedules marijuana as Schedule II when use for certain medicinal purposes

K a n s a s

No marijuana medicinal laws

K e n t u c k y

No marijuana medicinal laws

L o u i s i a n a

Bill approved: July 1991

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Allows licensed physicians to prescribe marijuana in the cases of glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, and spastic quadriplegia; makes no provisions for marijuana supply

M a i n e

Bill approved: September 1983

Current status: Expired in 1987

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma and cancer chemotherapy

M a s s a c h u s e t t s

Bill approved: December 1991

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from cancer chemotherapy, radiation therapy, glaucoma, and asthma; state proposal in January 1997 would let residents suffering from glaucoma, asthma or chemotherapy's side effects to legally possess marijuana for medicinal purposes.

M a r y l a n d

No marijuana medicinal laws

M i s s i s s i p p i

No marijuana medicinal laws

M i c h i g a n

Bill approved: December 1982

Current status: Expired in 1987

Highlights: Schedules marijuana as Schedule II when used as part of a controlled substances therapeutic research program for glaucoma and cancer chemotherapy

M i n n e s o t a

Bill approved: April 1980

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Appropriates funds for the establishment of a controlled substances therapeutic research program for cancer chemotherapy

M o n t a n a

Bill approved: April 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Would reschedule THC and marijuana to Schedule II if the federal government authorizes the prescription and administration of these substances

M i s s o u r i

Bill approved: May 1994

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: People of Missouri request the federal government to lift the ban of marijuana for medical purposes

N e v a d a

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Repealed 1987

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances research program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, and other disease groups

N e w H a m p s h i r e

Bill approved: June 1981

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: A licensed pharmacist may dispense cannabis type drugs to a person receiving radiation or cancer chemotherapy treatment for cancer; makes no provision for marijuana supply

N o r t h D a k o t a

No marijuana medicinal laws

N e b r a s k a

No marijuana medicinal laws

N e w J e r s e y

Bill approved: March 1981

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from life or sense-threatening diseases

N e w M e x i c o

Bill approved: February 1978

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from cancer chemotherapy or glaucoma

N e w Y o r k

Bill approved: June 1980

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes of a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer, and other life or sense-threatening diseases; makes provisions for confiscated marijuana to be used if necessary

N o r t h C a r o l i n a

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Allows physicians to prescribe marijuana for cancer chemotherapy

O h i o

Bill approved: June 1995

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a medical necessity defense for patients who possess a doctor's note from a physician stating that he/she "would prescribe marijuana to [the] patient if it were legal to do so."

O k l a h o m a

No marijuana medicinal laws

O r e g o n

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Repealed in 1987

Highlights: Allows physicians to prescribe marijuana for glaucoma and cancer chemotherapy

P e n n s y l v a n i a

Pennsylvania

No marijuana medicinal laws

S o u t h D a k o t a

No marijuana medicinal laws

S o u t h C a r o l i n a

South Carolina

Bill approved: February 1980

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy and radiology, or other disease groups

R h o d e I s l a n d

Bill approved: May 1980

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program

T e n n e s s e e

Tennessee

Bill approved: April 1981

Current status: Repealed in 1992

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy or radiology

T e x a s

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from cancer or glaucoma

U t a h

No medicinal marijuana laws

V e r m o n t

Bill approved: April 1981

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Allows a physician to prescribe marijuana for cancer and other medicinal uses; makes no provisions for marijuana supply

V i r g i n i a

Bill approved: March 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Allows physicians to prescribe marijuana for glaucoma and cancer; allows pharmacists to dispense marijuana for medical purposes; makes no provisions for marijuana supply

W a s h i n g t o n

Bill approved: April 1996

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Appropriates $130,000 for the establishment of a controlled substances therapeutic research program and to research tamper-free means of cultivating marijuana for medicinal purposes

W y o m i n g

No medicinal marijuana laws

W e s t V i r g i n i a

Bill approved: June 1979

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for patients suffering from cancer chemotherapy and glaucoma; allows physicians to prescribe marijuana; allows licensed pharmacies to dispense marijuana; makes no provisions for marijuana supply

W i s c o n s i n

Bill approved: April 1982

Current status: Still in effect

Highlights: Establishes a controlled substances therapeutic research program for glaucoma, cancer chemotherapy, and other disease groups; allows physicians to prescribe marijuana; allows certain pharmacies to dispense marijuana; makes no provisions for marijuana supply

( S o u r c e : N O R M L )

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