Federal Bill Would Legalize Medical Marijuana

Bipartisan support for the measure

A bipartisan group of 13 U.S. House members on Monday introduced the States' Medical Marijuana Patients Protection Act, allowing medical marijuana patients and businesses to access and distribute cannabis without federal interference in states that have voted to legalize pot to relieve pain and suffering.

The legislation is designed to deal with a yawning gap between states' actions — 18 states and the District of Columbia allow for medical marijuana — and the federal Controlled Substances Act, which still classifies cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance with "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States."

"Frankly, the people in the federal bureaucracy are in an impossible position:  It gets the federal government and the Department of Justice out of this never-never land," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, chief sponsor of the bill along with Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif.