Medicinal Marijuana and the Way it SHOULD Be Dealt With

Please do not mistake my intentions in this blog post.  I am not a drug advocate, but would like to bring to the surface the faulty ways in which medicinal cannabis has been prohibited.  The U.S. Constitution conveys that the Federal Government has no right to officiate matters dealing with moral agency/responsibility, unless those said matters can inflict harm upon other human beings.  The issue for me is that drug legalization and monitoring is/should be an issue left to the states.  Doesn't it make sense though?  Who knows the people indigenous to a certain region better than their state government and officials.  The Executive branch of government (as well as the Federal Gov. in general) has maintained chief authority in our country, causing a skewed distribution in power between the federal and state level.  If a state's government feels that its people could benefit from the medicinal benefits of marijuana, why should the federal government be allowed to say otherwise?  The president is not a king...this is not a monarchy...we are living in the United States.  I do think some monitoring of medicinal marijuana use should be in place to ensure the safety of others, but it should be a matter left to the states to decide.  We too often forget that the current pain killers and prescription drugs are opiate based and harmfully addictive.  In fact, prescription drug abuse is one of the biggest problems plaguing our nation, with Utah being the worst for it.  Again, I am not promoting the illegal use of marijuana (or any use period), but the struggle for legalization goes beyond the drug itself.  It is about the principle of who should be calling the shots.