The American Medical Association Supports Rescheduling Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes

In a story posted by Jenny Decker, RN  on www.emaxhealth.com announced that "The American Medical Association gave medical marijuana a boost on Tuesday. The AMA has urged the federal government to loosen its hold on the drug by reconsidering the classification of marijuana." Currently the Schedule 1 classification of marijuana ranks it among the most dangerous drugs in the world along with Heroine, LSD, and PCP. The classification lends that it has no medicinal purposes.

Daniel Tenser reported for The Raw Story Website, the "by comparison, cocaine and methamphetamines are classified as Schedule II drugs, which may have some clinical benefits when used in the proper circumstances. The AMA's stance could simply result in the rescheduling of marijuana as a controlled substance that has some medical benefit."

Tenser reports the AMA's House of Delegates at their Houston meeting adopted a new policy that calls for "marijuana's status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods."

The Marijuana Policy Project article states that “Our AMA urges that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods.” "It goes on to explain that this position should not be construed as an endorsement of state medical marijuana programs."

“This shift, coming from what has historically been America’s most cautious and conservative major medical organization, is historic,” said Aaron Houston, director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project, who attended the AMA meeting. “Marijuana’s Schedule I status is not just scientifically untenable, given the wealth of recent data showing it to be both safe and effective for chronic pain and other conditions, but it’s been a major obstacle to needed research.”

Decker states, "there has been over 30 years of research on medical marijuana, yet, very little due to the fact that marijuana is a Schedule I,narcotic therefore, the ability to study it is limited. However, it has been shown to help many people who are suffering and nothing else helps them. These are not people who are criminals or addicted. These are people who have cancer, maybe dying, and are in serious pain and nausea and vomiting."

Over 13 states allow medical marijuana and nearly a dozen more are considering the issue. The boost by the AMA is in response to President Obama’s administration speeding up a new policy based on no longer prosecuting those who use medical marijuana or the suppliers. Polls have shown that there is support for the legalization of cannabis. The federal government once considered marijuana to be linked to homicidal mania, writes the Los Angeles Times.

California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. This was a significant step in the fight to bring the drug to the help of those who are in need medically. The American Medical Association just took another leap for the chronically ill who might benefit from the medical purposes of marijuana. The AMA began reconsidering it’s stand on marijuana after a medical student did some research on the effects of cannabis on 186 chronically ill patients. Sunil Aggarwal, a medical student at the University of Washington, is that student. He states “I had reason to believe that there was medical good that could come from these products, and I wanted to see AMA policy reflect that.”

The federal government has remained quite mute about the whole thing. The DEA states that marijuana is still a Schedule I drug and it will still be treated as such. The Food and Drug Administration failed to make any comment. Despite this, many are still hopeful with the new development. The nation may in fact be developing a new view of the issue of marijuana as a medical drug that may assist many chronically ill to have a better quality of life.

To read the full stories referenced:

•  Decker, Jenny RN, AMA Gives Medical Marijuana a Boost

•  Tenser, Daniel, American Medical Association rethinking pot prohibition?

•  Marijuana Policy Project, AMA Calls for Review of Medical Marijuana’s Legal Status