Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, along with a bipartisan coalition of 9 co-sponsors (see below), will reintroduce legislation in Congress today to strengthen legal protections for state-authorized medical marijuana patients.

The bill, entitled the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009, seeks to amend the discrepancy between federal law and the laws of over a dozen states that have enacted regulations governing the therapeutic use of cannabis.

Thirteen states – Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington – have enacted laws prohibiting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Passage of the the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act would ensure that medical cannabis patients who are compliant with state would no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from federal law enforcement agencies.

Previous versions of the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act were introduced in both the 108th and 109th Congress, but failed to receive a public hearing or a committee vote.

While campaigning for the presidency, Barack Obama promised not to use Justice Department resources “to try and circumvent state (medical marijuana) laws” — a pledge that has been repeated in recent months by US Attorney General Eric Holder. Nevertheless, agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration have continued to target medical marijuana providers in states that allow for the drug’s use.

To support the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009, please log on to NORML’s Take Action Center here.

Co-sponsors of the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act of 2009

• Barney Frank (D-MA)
• Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Sam Farr (D-CA)
• Jim McDermott (D-WA)
• Ron Paul (R-TX)
• Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
• Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
• Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
• Mike Thompson (D-CA)
• George Miller (D-CA)