The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that would determine if people who have been advised by the doctors to use medical marijuana to ease their symptoms can be prosecuted under federal drug laws.

The case is an appeal of a California case in which an appeals court ruled that two women who use marijuana to reduce their chronic pain and other medical problems were exempt from federal prosecution because they were acting on the advice of their physicians. The U.S. Department of Justice appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court in Ashcroft vs. Raich.

Raich is Angel Raich, 38, of Oakland, who reportedly suffers from scoliosis, a brain tumor, chronic fatigue, pain and nausea and one of the plaintiffs in the original case. "I'm real excited and I'm real nervous and real afraid because my life is on the line here," she told reporters.

The case could affect laws in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state, all of which have medical marijuana laws similar to California. There are 35 states that have passed some form of legislation recognizing marijuana's medical value.

"The Supreme Court has a chance to protect the rights of patients everywhere who need medical cannabis to treat their afflictions," said Steph Sherer, executive director of Americans for Safe Access.

The federal Controlled Substances Act says marijuana has no medical benefits and cannot be dispensed or prescribed by doctors.

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