There are 365 days in a year...: June 6th: The Day That Pot Was Properly Pooh-Poohed

Dope; ganja; grass; hash; hemp; herb; pot; puff; Northern Lights; wacky-backy; skunk; smoke; soap; spliff; weed. A lot of these names successfully mystify me (e.g. soap?!), however they all refer to the famous plant firmly rooted in the world's history, cannabis. June 6th 2005 was the day branding America a country wholly intolerant of cannabis cultivation, possession and usage, even for personal medical treatment. The controversy resulting from such a bold decision by the United States Supreme Court sparks discussion regarding the legal status of the drug, and considering the case study of Angel Raich.

Marijuana Leaves, Cannabutter

Seven years ago on this very day, the Gonzales v. Raich court case came to a head, marking the prohibition of cannabis in all 50 states of America, including the ban of medical cannabis treatment. The United States Supreme Court issued the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to finalise their decision, arguing that the commercial market for cannabis is too high; so, to put it bluntly, allowing medical use would only encourage the regular stoners. California, the home state of Angel Raich, had a Compassionate Use Act of 1996 which enabled chronic sufferers to numb their pain by consuming marijuana under doctor supervision. Unfortunately, Raich was among the patients of Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative, and practically dependent on the drug to make life bearable. 'Without cannabis my life would be a death sentence', she admits on her website. Her utter enslavement to cannabis means she can live her life pain-free, but the 2005 prohibition promises trouble ahead for her.

So who actually is Angel Raich? Well, presently she is 46 years old, burdened with an un-operable brain tumour, radiation necrosis, epilepsy seizures and several chronic pain disorders. She experiences pain 24 hours a day, but medical cannabis helped her out of her wheelchair and regained mobility on the right side of her body. These dramatic improvements speak for themselves, and no surprises that with such transforming results, 80% of Americans think adults should be permitted medical marijuana use.

But before we blast out all the purple-haze infused 'legalize it' anthems, the International Narcotic Control Board (INCB) have supported the Supreme Court's prohibition. Only two days later on June 8th, Professor Hamid Ghodse stated: 'INCB has for many years pointed out that the evidence that cannabis might be useful as a medicine is insufficient.' It seems the damaging factors override the sparse medical research, with increased risks of mental illness; lung disease/cancer; lulls in concentration; addiction; and even fertility problems for men and women. Although cannabis can help individuals like Angel Raich, allowing its circulation in the medical industry still has the potential for bodily harm. This was the issue the government had to face: was it worth the risk?

Join the debate

Do you agree that cannabis should be banned altogether? Even Amsterdam has now upheld new laws to prevent tourists from visiting the cannabis coffee shops. Should cannabis be completely legal? It's a tricky one.