Proponents of using weed for medical purposes have something to be happy about. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that a U.S. Department of Justice appointed judge, Judge Mary Ellen Bittner, has submitted her final recommendation to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The recommendation? End the agency's monopoly on research-grade marijuana available for FDA approved studies.

This break (if people in power listen to Judge Bittner) in DEA control over the supply of research-grade marijuana means that the possibility for Medical Marijuana becoming available in pharmacies as a legal prescription drug just grew.

All that has to be done now is for DEA Deputy Administrator Michel Leonhart to accept the recommendation for the break in the monopoly to take effect. The possible problem in this situation? The Deputy Administrator has no deadline for doing so and may reject the recommendation.

As dependent as this is on one person's judgment call, what gives proponents of medical marijuana hope is that it seems that popular sentiment is in favor of the use of medical marijuana. Some 13 states have laws that protect patients who use medical marijuana (with a physician's recommendation of course), and national polls indicate that 75 percent of Americans support the use of medical marijuana.

For those who see medical marijuana as an effective solution to their needs, getting it legally (Legalized, FDA approved medical marijuana, and all that jazz) is certainly better than getting it from the streets.

If you want to check out the Judge Bittner's recommendation, feel free to head to it using our "read" link below.