The U.S. federal government declared on Friday that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain in the same class of drugs as heroin. The decision comes nearly nine years after marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify the drug. 
Oh, Barry, I voted for you, but this is wrong on so many levels.
First, what’s with the delay? Even potheads work faster than that. Secondly, who are they kidding? The medical benefits of marijuana are proven and well known. Doctors prescribe it regularly.
Here’s an experiment that anybody can do: visit the home of the biggest stoner you know, and then visit the home of the most prudish, fanatically anti-marijuana person you know. For many people, these two extremes can be found within the same extended family.
The stoner’s bathroom will have toothpaste, maybe mouthwash and some eye drops if they work someplace where showing up high as a kite is frowned upon, and little else. The stonerbasher will have so many pills, sprays, ointments and weird little devices that they have a hard time fitting everything in.
Marijuana not only has medicinal value, it is practically a panacea. If a stoner has a headache, a stoner smokes a joint. If a stoner has an upset stomach, a stoner smokes a joint. If a stoner has a rash, or a sore throat or a zit, a stoner smokes a joint. Whether or not it has any direct bearing on the medical problem, it does stop you from worrying obsessively about it, which is often a big part of recovery.
You see, marijuana reduces stress. Or at least it would, if people weren’t trying to arrest you and throw you in prison for smoking it.