Yes. On November 5, 1996, California passed Proposition 215, and Section 11362.5 was codified and added to the Health & Safety Code. It is also known as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. The purposes of the Act include, in part: "(A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes where the medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person's health would benefit from the use of marijuana in the treatment of cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief; and (B) To ensure that patients and their primary caregivers who obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes upon the recommendation of a physician are not subject to criminal prosecution or sanction."

May physicians legally recommend marijuana therapy to a patient?

Yes. On September 7, 2000, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled in Conant v. McCaffrey that federal authorities may not sanction doctors who recommend marijuana to patients. www.NORML.org for more information.

Why medical marijuana instead of other medications?

For many patients, traditional medications do work well and these patients do not require or desire medical marijuana. However, for a significant number of patients, including patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain among others, traditional medications do not provide symptomatic relief as effectively as medicinal cannabis. These patients should not be branded as criminals or forced to suffer needlessly. Cannabis has been used as a medicine for thousands of years in China, India, and many other parts of the world.