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| Doctors Group Backs Marijuana for Medical Uses |
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Posted by CN Staff on February 15, 2008 at 16:19:56 PT By Will Dunham Source: Reuters 
Washington, DC -- A leading U.S. doctors group has endorsed using marijuana for medical purposes, urging the government to roll back a prohibition on using it to treat patients and supporting studies into its medical applications.The American College of Physicians, the second-largest doctors group in the United States, issued a policy statement on medical marijuana this week after it was approved by its governing body, the group said on Friday. The group cited evidence that marijuana is valuable in treating severe weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. "Additional research is needed to clarify marijuana's therapeutic properties and determine standard and optimal doses and routes of delivery. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana and the debate over legalization," the group said. The Philadelphia-based group, founded in 1915, is made up of 124,000 doctors who treat adults. "The richness of modern medicine is to carefully evaluate new treatments. Marijuana has been in a special category because of, I suppose, its abuses and other concerns," Dr. David Dale, the group's president and a University of Washington professor of medicine, said in a phone interview. 'Science Should Be Kept Open' David Murray, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's chief scientist, said, "The science should be kept open. There should be more research. We should continue to investigate." The policy statement said, "ACP encourages the use of nonsmoked forms of THC (the main psychoactive element in marijuana) that have proven therapeutic value." It also backed research into additional therapeutic uses of marijuana. The government should review marijuana's status as a so-called schedule I controlled substance, alongside such drugs as LSD and heroin, given scientific evidence of its safety and efficacy for some medical conditions, the doctors group said. It called for exempting doctors who prescribe or dispense medical marijuana in accordance with state law from federal criminal prosecution and other actions. It also urged protection from criminal penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws. A dozen states have laws allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. But supporters of medical marijuana accuse the federal government of undermining those state laws by having Drug Enforcement Administration agents raid medical marijuana providers. Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which urges legal and regulated sales of marijuana, said, "This statement by America's second-largest doctors group demolishes the myth that the medical community doesn't support medical marijuana." "The ACP's statement smashes a number of other myths, including the claims that adequate substitutes are available or that marijuana is unsafe for medical use," Kampia added. Source: Reuters (Wire) Related Article & Web Site: Marijuana Policy Project Physicians Group Urges Easing of Ban on Marijuana Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #8 posted by charmed quark on February 16, 2008 at 12:10:33 PT |
| Contact your Federal representative and urge them to pass the bill that is to protect medical marijuana patients and their doctors from DEA interference. Refe.er to the ACP's request for the sam [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #7 posted by Storm Crow on February 16, 2008 at 09:32:55 PT |
| http://www.acponline.org/cgi-bin/feedback They deserve a thank you note from every one of us! These guys have political clout! Let them know that we heartily approve of their stance on cannabis! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #6 posted by fight_4_freedom on February 16, 2008 at 07:49:19 PT:
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| The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said it changed nothing. "This is not medical science," said chief scientist David Murray. "This is a policy paper. A political act calling for political response." -More like it's not medical science you want the public to know about- "It says, 'We want more research,' and we generally support more research as well." -Yeah generally, but not in this case. Do you people realize how much money we could lose?- Murray noted that other medical organizations - the 240,000-member American Medical Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - do not support the smoked form of marijuana as medicine. -What about all the other big organizations that do support it?- He acknowledged that compounds in marijuana, mainly cannabinoids, have some value with certain illnesses, such as when treating neurological disorders or used as an analgesic. -Well there you go, it has medical benefits therefore it shouldn't be a schedule 1 drug, you just said it yourself- Research into those applications should be pursued, but drugs given to patients must be only isolated, purified compounds proven in clinical trials and approved by the FDA, Murray said. "Whatever it looks like, it will not be the raw, crude weed delivering a stew of chemicals that are demonstrably harmful and toxic." -Yes, we must be able to profit off of this plant before it's allowed. It would not be fair to the pharmaceutical companies if the public were allowed to grow this plant. We already have a substance with a stew of chemicals that are demonstrably harmful and toxic, you people can't have this one too!- If this guy is so confident why doesn't he have a real debate with someone on the other side, instead of spouting out B.S. from his little cozy office where nobody can shout back.
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| Comment #5 posted by charmed quark on February 16, 2008 at 04:58:07 PT |
| I should include this quote from the article:
""A clear discord exists between the scientific community and federal legal and regulatory agencies over the medicinal value of marijuana, which impedes the expansion of research," the Philadelphia-based organization states in a 13-page policy paper. A White House official dismissed the report yesterday as a "political act" that contained no new science, and noted that other doctors' organizations think differently." That pretty much sums up the whole medical cannabis war. Darn tooting it's a "political act" when doctors try to help individuals against the government wishes. Some might call it a revolution. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by charmed quark on February 16, 2008 at 04:48:41 PT |
| Yesterday, many of us thought this news item would quietly disappear while reefer madness items got the coverage on the front page. This was on the front page of today's Philadelphia Inquirer: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20080216_Doctors__Ease_penalties_for_medical_use__research_.html Phila. group prescribes new look at pot for U.S. By John Sullivan Inquirer Staff Writer "In a move it hopes will spur research into medical uses of marijuana, the nation's second-largest physicians' group is calling on the government to ease criminal penalties for doctors who study and recommend the plant, and patients who smoke it. I'm hoping this move by the ACP will help us to get the NJ state legislators to move on our medical cannabis law. It's been in committee for several years now, tabled. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on February 15, 2008 at 22:15:33 PT:
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| science and medicine reveals what is already known. What has been known for thousands of years historically. What the La Guardia report, Nixons own research team, the good doctor from the college of pharmacy in San Francisco under Gov. Dukamajian [sp?] Dr. Alexander I believe? Dr. Grinspoon, The Japanese-American Dr.? [Yokomoto] of Calif. There have been so many I can't keep them straight. How about Dr. Woodson head of the AMA who testified before congress? Criminny! How many studies and testimonials do we need? Bottom line: The DEA and the Supreme Court are a criminal orginization. Please show me where they are any different than any good ol' party support group. Fascist is what they are! Fascism is the perfect marriage between government and industry-Benito Mussolini [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by FoM on February 15, 2008 at 19:24:46 PT |
| It's nice to see you and yes it is good news. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on February 15, 2008 at 18:37:28 PT |
| After prescribing it (Maranol), not only for chemo patients, these doctors are convinced; another nail in the government’s case. [ Post Comment ] |
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