Lopez’s case was a tragic example of our legal system’s ambiguity when dealing with morally controversial issues. Thomas Jefferson, the main author of the US Declaration of Independence, famously mentions three “unalienable rights” among them “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, yet Lopez was arrested by American authorities in his attempt to bring relief to his illness-battered wife. Although the possession and consumption of marijuana is illegal in the state of Washington, it is imperative to look at the consequences of the authorities’ actions over the life of Juanita, and contrast it with the possibility of Juanita’s continued life if her husband wasn’t detained. By preventing Juanita’s avoidance of pain, the authorities not only
