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Angel Raich relaxes after inhaling medical marijuana vapor at her Oakland home on June 7, 2005. Raich is one of two persons who sued then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, asking for a court order letting them smoke, grow or obtain marijuana without fear of arrest, home raids or other intrusion by federal authorities. She uses medical marijuana to ease severe chronic pain resulting from an inoperable brain tumor, seizure disorder, life-threatening wasting syndrome and other serious conditions. She says cannabis is the only medication that has successfully allowed her to lead a somewhat normal and active life without intolerable side effects. The US Supreme Court ruled on June 6 that Federal authorities may arrest sick people who use marijuana to ease their pain, even if it was prescribed by their doctors, and prosecute them for violating federal drug laws. This ruling overrides medical marijuana statutes in 10 states, including California, and concludes that state medical marijuana laws don't protect users from a federal ban on the drug. Those who grow the marijuana for medicinal purposes may also face the same fate.
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