Marijuana Prohibition May Be Ruled Unconstitutional In California This Month

On March 25th, Judge Mueller of the Sacramento Division of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California will announce her verdict for United States v. Schweder. The case will likely determine whether or not the Schedule I status for cannabis is constitutional or not. Being a Schedule I drug puts it in the same category as heroin.

Once this verdict is issued, it will almost certainly be appealed by whichever side loses. If so, it’ll go to the 9th circuit court. If it’s upheld, it will apply to states within the 9th circuit. If it’s appealed again, it’ll head to the US Supreme Court, which applies to the entire nation.

John Balazs, an attorney in Sacramento, sums the nature of the case up nicely:

In short, the defense brief argues that the evidence failed to support the continued inclusion of marijuana in Schedule I…