California Politics
...h of the federal government, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco “ruled 2-1 that the [defendants] were not engaged in interstate commerce, or any kind of commercial activity, and that prosecuting them under federal drug laws would therefore be unconstitutional in a state that has legalized the medical use of marijuana.” (Egelko & Hoge, p. B1) This ruling correctly strikes down the federal government’s attempt to use its power to overshadow that of a state. The federal government is attempting to overstep its constitutional bounds by granting itself the power to force its will on a state. The state of California used its constitutionally appointed power to draft a law that legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. This constitutionally appointed power stems from the reservation clause in the Constitution, which specifically grants the states all powers not granted explicitly granted to the federal government. Since this provides for a subject that has not been specifically granted to the federal govern...