Legalize Medical Marijuana in Iowa

Marijuana, the dried flowers from the Cannabis plant, have been used as medicine and been incorporated into religious rituals since the 3rd Millenium BC.It integrated into the culture of Southern Asia, where it had been used to make people feel better long before the creation of modern medicine. In the Vedas, the sacred text of Hinduism, Marijuana has been cited as a source of spirtual inspiration. Although cannabis has been used as medicine longer than any other other plant, it was labeled a dangerous drug in the early 20th century and was made illegal throughout most of the world. In the United States, marijuana has been making a comeback in the medical field. Both California and Colorado now allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients in order to treat glaucoma, nausea, and reduce pain in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. The state of Iowa has recently gained a more liberal reputation when gay marriage was legalized in 2009. Since then, Iowa's economy has benefitted. Around $1 million in tax revenue has been added by immigration to Iowa by gays to get married. Legalization of liberal laws benefits states' economies. When California legalized medical marijuana, $200 million in taxable revenue was added to the states economy. With Iowa's economy slowly growing, legalization of medical marijuana could benefit the state economically and could help patients looking for more organic medicine, as opposed to chemically engineered pharmaceuticals.
The main reason marijuana is currently not used as mainstream medicine is its gained reputation as a dangerous drug. In 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act (mostly refered to the Marijuana Tax Act, using the modern spelling) put a large tax on the sale of marijuana, hurting the industry and therefore giving them very little political power. This was later deemed unconstitutional by the landmark case, Leary vs. The United States after it was proven that the law required some degree of self incrimination. Congress responded by passing the Controlled Substances Act, legislators classified marijuana as a schedule II drug: the same category as drugs with high depedence such as cocaine and methamphetamine, making it illegal to sell or possess. It continued to be grouped with dangerous drugs, especially during Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign. School age children were taught that marijuana is a gateway drug; its useage would lead to other more harmful drugs. Although these programs were well intentioned, they harmed marijuana's reputation and religious and recreational users of the drugs became crimminals.
Many deparments of the U.S government have released statements regarding the safety of marijuana use. The U.S Department of Justice claims "Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity."
The FDA has currently reported zero deaths from the use of cannabis. These opinions have swayed many into supporting legalization of medical marijuana. Currently in the state of Iowa, there are a few organizations devoted to the cause, although the effort is currently at a standstill. Currently, the next step that needs to be taken is to petition the state government to remove marijuana and all related cannaboids from schedule II on the Controlled Substances act and have it moved to be considered a schedule III drug. From there, cannabis has potential to be prescribed by doctors, and with the potential money to be made in the medicla marijuana business, it wont be long before that is common practice.