SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 15, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A group backing medical use of
marijuana is asking a federal appeals court in California to order the U.S.
government to stop spreading false information.
Americans for Safe Access Executive Director Steph Sherer said, "It's time for
the federal government to acknowledge the efficacy of medical marijuana and stop
holding science hostage to politics," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
Sherer's group is suing the federal government under a law that prohibits the
spreading of false information.
At a hearing Tuesday, Justice Department attorney Alisa Klein told the appeals
panel that the government can't be forced to defend the accuracy of "countless
pieces of information" in its massive archives.
Americans for Safe Access argued that the government needs to update its
assessment to conform with the reality of marijuana's broadening legal use as a
pain reliever.
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