Pot Users Defy US Drug Law

The US Supreme Court has refused to sanction the use of marijuana for medical purposes, dashing the hopes of thousands of patients using the drug for pain relief. By a vote of six to three, the court refused to allow residents in 10 states to use the drug with a doctor’s permission and under highly regulated conditions. The ruling means federal authorities in 10 states may arrest terminally ill patients who use the drug as well as those who provide it to them. But some states remain defiant, saying medical certificates authorising marijuana will still be dispensed