13 House Members Introduce Bill That Would Protect Medical Marijuana Patients

A bipartisan group of 13 House members has introduced a federal bill that would allow medical marijuana patients and businesses that are complying with state law to access and distribute marijuana without federal interference.

The States’ Medical Marijuana Patients Protection Act would apply to states that have voted to legalize marijuana to relieve pain and suffering, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The measure is designed to address the gap between states that have legalized the drug for medical use, and the federal Controlled Substances Act, which outlaws marijuana use.

The bill would change the Controlled Substances Act so individuals, physicians or businesses would not be restricted from “consuming, recommending, producing, distributing or otherwise operating in marijuana in compliance with state laws.” Under the measure, the federal government would recognize that marijuana has an accepted medical use.

“Finally, it would require that access to marijuana for research into its potential medicinal and therapeutic uses be overseen by an entity in the government not focused on researching the addictive properties of substances,” according to a statement by bill co-sponsor Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.