The pleadings for Raich v. Ashcroft are now on line in a pdf format.

On June 6, 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled to reverse the lower court's ruling on Raich v. Ashcroft. It means there are some circumstances where federal government can interfere with behavior that is legal according to state law. The Court indicated that Congress and the Food and Drug Administration should work to resolve this issue.

How the Raich v. Ashcroft federal medical cannabis lawsuit born, and who is involved?

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Ashcroft v. Raich will have far-ranging consequences for medical cannabis patients, caregivers, growers and dispensary operators fighting federal marijuana charges. Directly at stake are the homes, the businesses and the freedom of at least 30 defendants. Their cases were put on hold following a December 2003 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals entitling Diane Monson and Angel Raich and her caregivers to use and cultivate marijuana under California law.

A decision in Ashcroft v. Raich is expected before the end of June 2005. Here are some of the cases contingent on the ruling.

Read the transcript from the hearing of November 29, 2004, the final stage before the high court rules in the spring of 2005.

Montel Williams, a medical marijuana patient himself, covers the bases in a full hour show with guests that include: Angel McClary Raich who has a case pending before the US Supreme Court, Irv Rosenfeld who is one of the federal government's IND patients, Rob Kampia from Marijuana Policy Project, and Donald Abrams, M.D. who does medical cannabis research at UCSF.

The U.S. Supreme Court will handle yet another case involving medical marijuana and federal law enforcement next fall. But Congress could make the issue moot this week - and express solidarity with popular opinion and the principles of federalism - by passing the Hinchey-Rohrabacher amendment to an appropriations bill, due for consideration today.

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would hear the Bush administration's claim that federal drug agents have the authority to arrest seriously ill Californians who use homegrown marijuana to relieve their pain.

The U.S. Supreme Court cast a cloud on the medical marijuana movement's biggest legal victory Monday when the justices agreed to hear the Bush administration's appeal of a ruling that protects marijuana patients in California from federal prosecution.

The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would decide whether the government has the authority to prevent sick patients from using marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.

San Francisco, Oct 7: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in a lawsuit by Prop. 215 patients Angel Raich and Diane Monson challenging the constitutionality of the federal government's ban on personal use and cultivation of marijuana for medicine under California law.

Advocates of medical marijuana have lost another round in federal court in San Francisco. A U.S. judge has turned down a bid by two patients for a preliminary injunction that would have protected them from federal prosecution for using marijuana to alleviate serious health problems.

The pleadings for Raich v. Ashcroft are now on line in a pdf format.

In a historic lawsuit to be filed in the U.S. District Court in Oakland Oct. 9, 2002, two seriously ill medical marijuana patients charge the federal government, Drug Enforcement Administration chief Asa Hutchinson, and Attorney General John Ashcroft with violating the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution in their ongoing attacks on medical cannabis patients and providers.