Justices Uphold Ban on Medicinal Pot Use

The state Supreme Court upheld Washington’s ban on the medical use of marijuana, rejecting a plea from Ralph Seeley, a lawyer stricken with a rare form of bone cancer who wants to smoke pot to relieve pain. He had argued that his rights were being violated by federal and state laws that bar doctors from prescribing marijuana. But the state Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the government’s authority to protect its citizens outweighs a cancer patient’s desire to relieve his pain. The decision reversed a lower court’s ruling.