A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday introduced a landmark bill that would do away with federal restrictions on the medicinal use of marijuana, Agence France-Presse reported.

In 23 states across the nation, the drug can already be used to treat conditions such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, but because marijuana is still technically a so-called "Schedule I" substance under federal law, it exposes users to potential investigation and arrest.

Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky, as well as Democrats Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York want to do away with the jurisdictional gray area. Their Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act would remove federal penalties and restrictions for producing, distributing and possessing marijuana for medical purposes, as long as those actions are permitted under state law.

Paul noted that there were "tens of thousands of people in our country who have diseases that are incurable and that would like to seek palliative treatment." The current situation was "clearly a case of ideology getting in the way of scientific progress," Gillibrand added.

Speaking for the three senators, Booker told reporters that changes to the federal law were overdue.

"Highly-trained officials in our country -- doctors and scientists, medical personnel -- are unable to prescribe and recommend drugs that could alleviate the pain and suffering of their patients," the New Jersey senator lamented. "Today we join together to say enough is enough. Our federal government has long overstepped the boundaries of common sense, fiscal prudence and compassion with its marijuana laws," he added.

Beyond doing away with restrictions and penalties, the senators' bill would enable more research into medical marijuana by requiring the Drug Enforcement Administration to issue more permits, CBS News detailed; currently, only the National Institute on Drug Abuse can be approved for such research.

Physicians who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs would also be permitted to recommend medical marijuana to their patients, as long as state law allows for its use. Further, the bill would enable financial institutions to provide banking services to medical marijuana businesses, the network explained.

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