Medical Marijuana Experiences Boom in Oregon

Five years after Oregon passed its groundbreaking medical marijuana law, it seems to be experiencing a boom.

A recent round of favorable federal court rulings appears to have prompted more ailing Oregonians to seek state-issued cards allowing them to smoke, grow and possess marijuana and at the same time emboldened more doctors to endorse the practice.

Oregon's law, passed by voters in 1998 and enacted in 1999, allows people with a specified illness to use and grow small amounts of marijuana without fear of prosecution as long as a doctor says it might help their condition.

Nine states have passed laws permitting people to use marijuana for medical purposes. The state laws conflict with federal statutes, which classify marijuana as an il! legal drug with no legitimate medical purpose. A slew of court cases have pitted federal authorities against medical marijuana advocates, and in recent rulings, federal judges are siding with the states.