Nation’s Largest Medical Association Calls For Review of Marijuana’s Legal Status
Big news: The American Medical Association adopted a new policy position today calling for the review of marijuana’s status as a Schedule I drug.
The revised policy “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.” While it goes on to explain that the AMA is not stating support for state medical marijuana laws, the new policy does fall in line with what is quickly becoming a universal understanding in American medicine: Marijuana has undeniable medical uses and federal law should reflect that reality.
The new policy marks a historic shift from the AMA’s previous position, which recommended that “marijuana be retained in Schedule I,” grouping marijuana with drugs such as heroin, LSD, and PCP that are deemed to have no accepted medical uses.
The AMA’s previous position was often cited by medical marijuana opponents as evidence that the drug’s medical efficacy was in question. This new policy will go a long way to convincing politicians and policy makers that the compassionate use of medical marijuana should not be blocked by outdated marijuana laws.
Tagged with: AMA and Schedule I and Schedule II by the author
55 comments
About time the Doctors and their medical associations stood up BESIDE the people and not with the Fed.
The truth is blatantly obvious and they have always known it but until “we spoke” they were not willing to.
Excellent news!
Great stuff. Anyone have a link to the announcement?
This is all that’s needed right now: for scientists, politicians, and organizations to come out and say we should be looking at this stuff. While having people directly advocate legalization would be great, it’s not ultimately necessary. If we can convince people to look at this topic objectively, the facts will speak for themselves.
Rhayder: You can view the new policy on page 12 of this pdf. Sorry, but there is nothing more convenient at this early stage. http://www.ama-assn.org/assets/meeting/mm/i-09-ref-comm-k.pdf
This year has been great for news…Something seems to happen every week. I hope the momentum keeps growing.
Good morning my name is Fernando Medina and just have to say that my doctor has prescribed marijuana to me for the illness that has taken over my life. I have Cadasil which is a brain illness. If you would see my x-rays you would not believe that am still standing. He was shocked to see my brain in such a state of disrepair. He told me that Marijuana would protect my brain I have been inhaling this medication for a few months and he is shocked at what I still remember. We have to legalise it. Either way I will continue my medication wether it is legal or not.
Not for nothing but Alchohol and Nicotine are considered drugs are they not? Does either have a “accepted medical use”? Shouldnt they then be considered Schedual I drugs by broad definition? The word game symantics need to stop.
The solution to the whole “morality arguement” and furthur nitpicking of every aspect by the anti-canabis rightious group is to just outright legalize it. If it’s legalized then people that benefit from it medicaly can use it as they see fit without having to justify delivery methods, THC levels, purchase points, and so on, as well as those of use that just want to fire one up after a long week, without fear of losing our jobs, benefits, and/or children to child endangerment laws.
It seems all the arguements that are made when one is debating against cannabis weather it is medical or recreational, are points made by a specific person that has conserns as if “they” were the ones using it. The counter points of criminalization are more often then not, just personal preferences, and not really any more harmful then ingreadents of side effects in Asparin, Beer, Ginko Biloba, or whatever. So when do we start calling out these moral zelots for using the “because I said so…” arguement in continued criminalization of marijuana.
Cool, thanks Ben!
I like how this is right next to banning cell phone devices while driving in the AMA report LOL. Marijuana is safer than cell phones.
The AMA quote is a big quote for the prohibitionists in the news! I feel like we just kicked them in the nuts.
Here’s another article on the AMA decision… a link you can pass around:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5838
Excellent. This will be huge in the weeks to come!
BRING IT !!!!!!!
Thanks DarthNole, thanks MPP for all the updates. My stack of papers are immense now and while looking at the stack I was wondering, differently, but like #6 said.
Then again it got me thinking, the AMA said way back when that Marijuana wasn’t dangerous.
And #5, if you’re telling the truth it would be great if you commented now and again sharing with us the progress of your recovery. And perhaps your doctor could write about it and you could share it here?
insurance companys ,medicade ,medicare will never pay for medical pot I think the doctors are trying to get ahead of the curve they know that they can charge 200.oo$ for an appointment to get a script
Two days a week 30 people a day that’s $6000.oo dollers a day thats better than $48,000.oo a month they are doing the math it’s easy money
When people see how much money is involved they will jump on the band wagon
Doctors are not dummys when they saw the writing on the wall 30 years ago they became specilist and still made mad money
if alcohol and nicotine were brand new today, they would be classified sched 1before you would believe,but since they are the good ole boys they will always be legal.
The American Medical Association was the only group to stand up to Harry Anslinger in 1937. They knew then that his arguments were bogus. But then the AMA cowered to the Federal Government for 72 years and let the Feds rule unjustly. Finally they speak up again! It is about time!
However, I can’t help but to notice how many times that they refer to Cannabis as “Marijuana”. That was one of Harry Anslinger’s biggest deceitful tactics used to create this wrongful Cannabis Prohibition! I am NOT saying that the AMA is being deceitful – I’m thrilled that they are taking this step! – I’m just noting how the terminology from 72 years of Prohibition has affected the minds of even our Medical Scientists. The name of the plant that we are discussing is Cannabis – NOT “Marijuana” (or “Marihuana”).
If the AMA were writing a scientific recommendation for Dentists and constantly referred to Nitrous Oxide throughout the text as “Laughing Gas” it would look silly! I think that it looks silly to see “Marijuana”, a derogatory slang term, used here instead of Cannabis’ correct scientific name.
That said, I am VERY EXCITED to see the American Medical Association is calling for the review of Cannabis’ status as a Schedule I drug!
It is time to correct the mistake of Cannabis Prohibition!
Legalize Cannabis Now!
I like how this is right next to banning cell phone devices while driving in the AMA report LOL. Marijuana is safer than cell phones.
Haha yeah, I noticed that too. You folks should read the report Ben linked to in comment #3. The new cannabis recommendations begin on page 12. The language is very encouraging.
YAY! Common sense from the AMA!
I noticed that they removed the language about developing a “smoke-free inhaled delivery system”.
Does anyone know why they removed this statement? If they thought that a vaporizer was the “smoke-free inhaled delivery system” that they suggested NIH research and develop shouldn’t they have clarified this?
while i hold mpp.org in high regard as far as integrity and resourcefulness, i have a problem with this piece.
we live in the internet nowadays and any written material claiming to be journalism should include some sort of bibliography, citations, and/or list of refrences. at lease gimme a link to click for AMA.
@DarthNole: I was wondering about the same thing. Maybe they thought that insisting on development of a smoke-free delivery system somehow contradicted their desire to look directly at smoked cannabis?
Or perhaps they determined that work on a smoke-free system should occur only after investigation has been performed on the medicinal properties of smoked marijuana, to isolate whatever variables are introduced by a different delivery method?
Anyway, yeah I noticed the same deletion.
@fighting the battle: Read the comments man, particularly comment #3.
i am a douche that doesnt read the conversation before jumping in. oops. thanks ben morris.
& Rhayader. good insight and input. keeps the questions and knowledge flowing efficiently. helps myself and many get the facts and ideas to even doubt our current govts position on cannabis.
I am not opposed to a wide range of Cannabinoid type medicines. Including cannabidiol pills which you can take in large quantities to stop your breast cancer- a great idea. I’d even encourage all people to take a cannabidiol pill every day! No psychoactive effects from cannabidiol, btw. We we can get rid of breast cancer and brain cancer together, plus others:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/11/19/cannabis-cancer.html
Our future looks bright.
Hey, what about that reporter, that said “medical marijuana insults our intelligence.” He should definitely be fired now right? lol.
Hey, what about that reporter, that said “medical marijuana insults our intelligence.” He should definitely be fired now right? lol.
Haha, Charles Lane? Yeah that guy is an insult to our intelligence.
& Rhayader. good insight and input.
Thanks!
First off, thanks Ben for the story.
Now what will the prohibs do,they lost and arguement. I think the prohibs will try marginalize the AMA’s position as they do any arguement . Prohibs always come up with something. I wouldnt put it passed them to say that those in the AMA that suppoet this are smoking it.
This is great news however. I , as I know all of you do, want intensive study done. I especially want study done in the area of cancer research. Many of us have witnessed what cancer does to people. My father died of cancer, it was horrible to watch this. We can all agree that we hope to have medicine in the future to cure cancer so we dont have to suffer this terrible desease. This news is very great for people who suffer other deseases also.
Cannabis , as we know ,can be used for many things. Fuel for one.
I just read a story from the IEA, stating that there isnt enough fossil fuel to last. In the next 25-30 years,fuel consumtion will increase 40%. So here we sit with a easily renewable fuel source, our reserves are being depleted while prohibs keep us from using hemp to fix this problem. When we make hemp legal,this will drive oil prices down,way down. How many of these politicians and prohibs have stock in oil? Any way I ramble.
Look out prohibs,your friends are becoming our friends. What will you do? Make it illegal for anyone to talk positively about cannabis? Damn nazi’s…return to your history,get out of our future.
I tried to go to the web site provided by #3 but when I did my computer froze because of an attatched link. Now it is really slow to respond to anything. As far as the news goes, this is wonderful! Keep tokin and overgrow big bro.
@Clarence: Yeah, it is a PDF. If it slowed your entire computer down, Adobe is a prime suspect. You can check your process manager to see if Adobe is running anything, and kill it to see if it helps.
Rhayader,I have no clue what you said or even mean. I went to 420 news and read the article and was impressed by their honesty. For the first time someone stood up to gig brother and told the truth. Way to go A.M.A.
Uhh, ok, I was just trying to help.
And yeah great announcement today. Another prohibitionist talking point is off the table.
By the way, what’s the over/under on how long before we see a story about how their position has gone “up in smoke”, and how they are attempting to “lift the haze” over medical marijuana, and about how it has “harshed the buzz” at the DEA?
ah man I had a dream that the AMA recognized smoked marijuana as medicine as well as accepted use in the United States and the pit-bigots would no longer have that in their arsenal of lies………..
I believe the AMA originally came down against cannabis prohibition in the 30’s.
I am in disbelief about this. I am pleased but still do not trust the AMA’s motives.
this is huge step and i am excited that the ama is finally doing something to validate cannabis being rescheduled but it took 70 years, come on. ordinary people that aren’t doctore recognized the medicinal use and even voted on it in 1996. I would say that puts the ama pretty well behind the power curve yet again.
Great News! Let the medical research begin…even if it is 72 years to late.
Ben, any idea on who this recommendation is to? Congress? Obama? Who reviews the Schedule 1 status? Attorney General? A committee?
The DEA reviews the scheduling, it could also be rescheduled as an act of congress, additionally Janet Napolitano (HHS director) has the authority to unilaterally reschedule. Please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Removal_of_cannabis_from_Schedule_I_of_the_Controlled_Substances_Act
Holy Smokes. The end of prohibition is taking a long and gratuitous route. The President cannot be soft on crime. So, he get’s the AMA to make the recommendation for studying MMJ and slips in to the backdoor of the DEA with this plan on how we leagalize MMJ and end the war while saving face with the DEA. The DEA goes along with the secret plan. MMJ is rescheduled the War on MMJ is ended, and everyone saves face. The resources once used to fight this war are now directed to more serious crimes. The conspiracy is in motion.
Yeah-right! We need to keep hitting the nail on the head with the right message. Marijuana is SAFER than alcohol. Keep the iron to the fire and roast their butts. A frog is said to allow it’s self to boil to death if placed in a pot of water and heat is slowly increased. (Please do not harm any animals by conducting this experiment) Keep turning up the heat and they will not know what happened before they know what happened.
The Rev.Sleezy
The Universal Life Chirch of the Holy Smokes
Potand, OR
This goes to show where Washington D.C. and its cronies stands… back about 20 years.
another report reads:
“It’s been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility,” said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and was one of the CSAPH report’s designated expert reviewers. ”
sounds like we need to give a big thanks to that medical student Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D. right about now. one big step closer.
I would be very skeptical of the AMA in this case. I do not believe they have the public’s best interests at heart, and will likely try to patent the cannabanoids so that we cannot grow cannabis for personal use. Watch them close, I do not think they are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are likely motivated by private interests, and money. Don’t let them trick you! Wait for a while to see what they do before saying that they are doing anything good.
(does anyone else feel like this snowball gets bigger and bigger every day?)
Yes.It will start an avalance soon. Cannabis will be legalized. Freedom is what is desired,but my friends, when cannabis is legalized,that will just be the start. TRUE FREEDOM begins when we force government to do as we wish…always. We cant stop just with cannabis. Our freedoms have been under assult for a very long time,this will just be the start. Our rights MUST be regained. Dont trade legal cannabis for chains. Dont capitulate where the government is concerned or we will wake and bake in chains.
Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have … The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
A little rebellion now and then…is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826), Letter to James Madison, 1787
We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826), letter to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Thomas_Jefferson
1st Obama says he’ll stop the raids on mmj dispensaries, then Colorado supreme court rules in favor of dispensaries, now the AMA advocates rescheduling cannabis…Is it my imagination or is real progress finally being made?
i am an-ex certified nurses aid for ten years i have worked in nursing homes in my state of wisconsin . i would like to say that it is a true wonder that we now have a president in the white house that is finally listening to what the people laying in hurt,pain and frustation about useing med.s that have more side-affects than they care for !and being able to use a natural earth made med. that has side affects that they don’t mind living with and that has a very affective treatment for what ill’s them. this is great news ! let the freedom bell ring ! i dont mind buying my own health ins. now! and i feel that alot of people can come out of the closet with that vaporizer and hide the airisall cans of cover up !! so lets keep a good thing going and let our blogs be heard!!we want our medication legal !!and let us all live in peace from the small towns in america! this will create job growth and put the econemy back on track put the gov. in biz,and those mexican cartels out of a job !!and start better back ground checks on everyone that enters into these UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! !!! . KEEP ON THE JOB MPP GLAD SOMEONE IS THINKING OF THE SICK !!!AND DIEING….
[...] WAR ON DRUGS: Nation’s Largest Medical Association — AMA — Calls For Review of Marijua… The AMA is no longer saying marijuana should be classified as a Schedule I drug, with heroin, LSD, and PCP. They now want its status to be reviewed. Anyone who knows the truth knows marijuana has no place as a Schedule I drug anyway…. (tags: politics WarOnDrugs drugs freedom marijuana science AMA AmericanMedicalAssocation medical classification ScheduleI MPP news articles) [...]
Great news! I certainly hope this expedites the passage of medical marijuana legislation at a National level, and in the meantime at the State level. Sick people have enough to deal with already. Don’t add legal woes to their troubles!
back in the 30’s doctor’s knew the truth about cannabis. but once anslinger got the ball rolling, he targeted and threatened doctors, before going after hollywood.
today, there is NO one person spearheading a charge of prohibition, and science trumps myth. we win, eventually.
FiddleMan #15…
i, too, use to resent the term/word marijuana.
but i have come to believe that using THEIR word against them is powerful.
back in the 30’s, people were ignorant of the term marijuana, and it helped anslinger slip legislation, including hemp prohibition, right under the noses of congress.
for the past 80 years the government has been hammering that term into their propaganda.
folks that are NOT ‘in the know’ are familiar with the term marijuana, and that is what they’ve been told to be afraid of.
1/3 of americans STILL think pot is worse, or as dangerous as alcohol.
these folks need to learn that..
marijuana can be their friend.
marijuana is not the boogie-man.
marijuana is safer than alcohol as an adult recreational substance choice.
once these and other facts are known to them, then they can find out it is also called cannabis.
hopefully, soon after that, they learn the difference between sativa and indica.
It’s also encouraging to hear about more and more private physicians who are beginning to peek out from under their DEA installed rock. GO DOC.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta at CNN has asked for folks opinions on the AMA’s recent change. I suggest everyone stop by for a quick POLITE and POSITIVE comment of support!
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2009/11/11/the-changing-debate-over-medical-marijuana/
Thanks!!
hey James Crosby…you have to remember that the AMA has been losing membership steadily….because thank God, some people actually do become doctors to heal the sick : )
I would be dead if I had not used it for medical purposes. I have had three lemanectomies. One spinal fushion and a lumbar sympathetical block. The doctors wanted to do a sixth surgery. I asked for a guarantee to be free from pain. They could not give me one. The doctors had me on 8 percodan, 40mgs valium, 6 150 mg darvon en compound, a day for years. Then they were injecting me with procaine right into the vien. Supposed to stimulate the damaged nerve endings. After 7 years of hellish agony, I decided to take myself off the valium and the darvon en compound. I basically was using ice-packs 24/7 . I was admitted into Mount Siani. Told my othopedic specialist, if he couldn’t do something to relieve the pain, I was going to kill myself. They suggested doing a sixth surgery but this time they were going to enter through the stomache to reduce the scar tissue. Again, no guarantees. Over the years, apart from the five surgeries, I had six disceograms and seven miliograms. My surgeon asked how I planned on killing myself. Simple, I was going to buy a gun. He asked where I was going to get it and I told him, I would buy one. I was then checked out by a specialist and six of his interns to see if I was having mental issues. After the interview, I was given a 500 questionaire. Three days later they came back and told me, I was perfectly sane and oviously was in a great deal of pain. However, they were still not satisfied. They arranged for me to have a sodium-penathol injection during which time I was prodded, twisted and bent in every direction until I was almost screaming with pain…. It was conclusive, there obviously a serious problem. Solution, they shot me full of kortezone. Still in excruciating pain, I discharged myself and never went back. Thank God for Mother Nature. A neighbour told me her brother got off alchohol addiction by using mari. She suggested I try it. I thought, I had died and gone to heaven. I finally felt the pain easing up little by little. I started to eat a decent meal again. I started to socialize again. I was interested in life again. My family could not believe the difference in my attitude and I was delighted to see how my family’s stress level was erased. We all had a life back again after 15 years of HELL. Do I continue to take it daily for medical purposes? I don’t have to. Do I still have pain? Yes. The level has been so reduced, I can live with it. Without this drug, I would be dead. Taking all those perscription drugs, which eventually deposit in all your major organs, it would have killed me. Anyone who opposes mari should have to tolerate excruciating agony for decades and then see if there opinion changes. I sincerely hope somebody in authority sees the light and has some compassion and common-sense to change the laws and permits mari to be used for all the medical reasons and give so many people their life back again. Good luck with your endeavour. I know you will help so many people. I know people with cancer and they have taken it to reduce nausea, which in turn helps them eat. It would be criminal not to use it as a prescription medication. I have not told this to too many people but I felt your cause was justified and I know the difference it made in my life, I hope this helps others. Best Wishes, Cynthia Beattie.
Thank You Cynthia Beattie. we commend you on the courage it must take to post your name and story on the internet. Your addition got patients 1 bit closer to legal medicine. Lets spread the “coming out” fire and bring freedom to the inmates of pain in which cannabis can alleviate!
GENESIST STAEMENT
I am a Genesist. “I believe in my creator, and my creator’s gift of Manna as Holy Sacrament.” I believe in the “free exercise thereof,” as testiment to my creator.
The numbers spell out the truth why Marijuana should be properly researched and developed.
Number Of American Deaths Per Year:
TOBACCO —> 340,000 to 450,000
ALCOHOL —> 150,000+
“LEGAL” DRUG OVERDOSE —> 14,000 to 27,000
CAFFEINE —> 1,000 to 10,000
ILLICIT DRUG OVERDOSE —> 3,800 to 5,200
ASPIRIN —> 180 to 1,000+
MARIJUANA —-> 0
(source: Gold Country Media)
That’s good enough reason for me.
Now if they would only change their statement that “hemp and marijuana are both parts of the same plant and that hemp cannot be produced without producing marijuana.”
http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr100901.html
What do you think it will take to get that lie “corrected”?
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