Federal Cannabis Law Dispute Tossed by Massachusetts Judge (1)

The US government escaped a lawsuit over its regulation of intrastate marijuana manufacturing, after a federal judge said dismissed the case and said he doesn’t have the authority to overturn binding US Supreme Court precedent.

Massachusetts cannabis businesses who brought the case—represented by nationally famous litigator David Boies—had argued that the federal Controlled Substance Act’s ban on activity in intrastate marijuana markets overstepped its authority, which only encompasses regulation of commerce across state lines.

Judge Mark Mastroianni of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts said he must follow the Supreme Court’s 2005 decision in Gonzales v. Raich ...