Supreme Court hearing arguments about medical marijuana
SUPREME COURT Both sides of the marijuana debate are watching the Supreme Court very carefully, as it hears arguments today on its use as medicine. On one side is a California woman named Angel Raich (raych), who took up the drug to ease the pain of a brain tumor and other ailments. Raich has the support of her doctor and a California medical marijuana law.
The question is whether that's enough to protect Raich from the federal government, which makes no exceptions for the seriously ill in its war on drugs.
The Justice Department argues marijuana is a dangerous drug. And Republican Congressman Mark Souder (SOW'-der) of Indiana says if you can't control marijuana, you can't control drugs and if you can't control drugs, you can't control crime.
Justices will consider whether the federal law that bans marijuana possession can be enforced in ten states. Those states allow people to use marijuana if their doctors agree.
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