cannabisnews.com: Scotland: Medical Association Backs Legalizing MJ! Scotland: Medical Association Backs Legalizing MJ! Posted by FoM on June 25, 1999 at 07:57:55 PT Norml's Weekly Update News! Source: NORML Lanarkshire, Scotland: Leading doctors from the British Medical Association's (BMA) Scottish committee for public health are pushing to remove criminal penalties for the recreational use of marijuana. "We want to encourage public debate on this issue and examine the evidence, rather than [have] people leaping to prejudice," committee chairman Dr. George Venters said. "I think more than half the population would support legalization if you laid out the evidence." The doctors' group argues that separating marijuana from the illegal drug market would effectively dissuade users from graduating to harder drugs. "Marijuana is in the same boat as heroin and cocaine [under the law] and that's entirely anomalous," Venters said. "Cannabis has been around a long time. It's not addictive; it's not in the same league as these other drugs." Venter's said that improperly categorizing marijuana with hard drugs like heroin and cocaine costs anti-drug proponents credibility with adolescents. "If we want to be listened to about drugs, we cannot talk a lot of nonsense. Young people know exactly what is going on." The committee will bring their legalization motion before the BMA at next month's annual conference. The BMA backs the use of cannabinoids, compounds in marijuana, as medicine, but does not endorse relaxing penalties for the drug's recreational use. At least two international medical societies, the Canadian Medical Association and the Australian Medical Association, oppose criminal penalties for marijuana possession. The American Medical Association takes no current position on marijuana decriminalization, but supports clinical trials to better determine its medicinal qualities. For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of The NORML Foundation (202) 483-8751. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1730.shtmlhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1731.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by J. Potts on February 29, 2000 at 16:25:56 PT: Marijuana Residue Found On Steering Wheels..... Could someone please direct me to the research organization in Scotland that discovered marijuana residue could be absorbed through the skin of the hands when gripping the steering wheel of a car. The announcement was on National Public Radio News a few months ago. I am a paralegal/investigator for a law firm in the U.S.and heard the broadcast. Any help would greatly be appreciated. If this is true there are people who have been fired from jobs, and kicked out of the military possibly due to false/positive readings of urine tests. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 25, 1999 at 22:35:43 PT: Doctors Push for Legal Use of Cannabis! Dr George Venters, the committee chairman, said there was no evidence that cannabis was addictive. He said: "We want to encourage debate on this issue and should examine the evidence that has existed for a long time, rather than people leaping to prejudice. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1726.shtmlA GROUP of leading doctors have become the first medical professionals to call for cannabis to be legalised for recreational use. The doctors, from the British Medical Association's Scottish committee on public health medicine, believe that a change in the law would help to control the spread of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread1725.shtml [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: