Supreme Court to hear med. case Monday

[davidd]

OAKLAND, Calif. A case involving the use of marijuana for medical purposes is scheduled to be heard by the U-S Supreme Court Monday.


The court will hear arguments by attorneys representing Angel Raich of Oakland and Diane Monson of Oroville.





The two joined forces in lawsuit against Attorney General John Ashcroft after federal agents seized six marijuana plants from Monson's backyard.





After a two-year legal battle, the two women won injunctions barring the U-S Justice Department from prosecuting them or their suppliers.





California passed the nation's first so-called medical marijuana law in 1996. It allows patients to smoke and grow marijuana with a doctor's recommendation.





But the Bush administration maintains those laws violate federal drug rules.





The Supreme Court will decide if marijuana patients in California and ten other states can continue to use marijuana for medical purposes.