Gov. Gregoire Wants DEA to Reclassify Marijuana

Olympia, WA - - Gov. Chris Gregoire and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee have filed a petition with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration asking the agency to reclassify marijuana so that doctors can prescribe it and pharmacists can fill the prescription. The governors want the federal government to list marijuana as a "schedule 2" drug, allowing it to be used for medical treatment. Marijuana is currently classified a "schedule 1" drug, meaning it's not accepted medical use for treatment in the United States and can't be prescribed, administered, or dispensed for medical use, according to the DEA.

     Washington voters approved a medical marijuana law in 1998. That law gives doctors the right to recommend - but not prescribe - marijuana for people suffering from cancer and other conditions that cause "intractable pain."