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It is projected that between 1996 and the end of 2000, over twenty statewide elections will have taken place to legalize the medical use of marijuana. It is necessary to go through the political process to legalize marijuana as medicine because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that marijuana does not have medical utility. This section provides material from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both organizations held conferences in 1997 to review the medical marijuana research, citing the need for the medical community to contribute to the resolution of public debate on the issue. Both reports reveal that marijuana, and even synthetic THC, or Marinol, is either ineffective or inferior to other developed medications. Neither endorsed using marijuana as medicine. Advocates of medical marijuana claim that it can relieve symptoms from conditions ranging from stress, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis to chemotherapy induced nausea and chronic pain. They point out that marijuana was an accepted, legal medicine in many cultures - including the United States - not more than 100 years ago. In fact, even in the 1970's when no effective medicines to treat chemotherapy induced nausea had been developed, marijuana was considered by many in the medical community as the best available medicine. Synthetic THC, or Marinol, was developed as a result, and is still legally available in pharmaceutical capsule form by prescription. Marinol is a Schedule II drug - defined as having a high potential for abuse, but with an acceptable medical utility for limited conditions. Yet, the concerns over marijuana as medicine go beyond those raised by substance abuse experts and law enforcement officials about legalizing marijuana in it’s crude plant form. Not one major medical or health association supports allowing marijuana for medical use. Currently, the vast majority of nationally recognized expert medical doctors conclude that marijuana is not a safe and effective medicine. Even Marinol, which is a modern pharmaceutical medicine in that it is a stable, pure substance in a quantified dosage form, is rarely prescribed because THC is less effective than other medicines currently available (and because of it’s potential adverse effects including addiction and mental disorders). Crude marijuana, on the other hand, is an unstable mixture of over 425 chemicals - of which THC is only one - that convert to thousands when smoked. The chemicals in marijuana include many well known carcinogens and many toxic, psychoactive substances that are largely unstudied and appear in uncontrolled strengths. There is no scientifically accepted body of evidence showing safe or effective medical utility for marijuana. Medical specialists state that the benefits from smoking marijuana are analogous to drinking whiskey to relieve stress or smoking tobacco cigarettes in order to lose weight. There are indications that symptoms are being relieved while the patient is high and there is value to researching these specific chemical reactions, yet the ultimate medical utility of marijuana fails a simple benefit/risk calculation to which all medical interventions are subject. The AMA, the NIH, and almost all medical and health associations do support continued research into the properties of marijuana. Should medical studies establish any medical efficacy, they recommend that the normal scientific process of identifying and purifying the active components take place in a standard pharmaceutical manner, followed by the development of "a smoke-free inhaled delivery system" for those patients who have difficulty taking drugs intravenously, as a suppository, or by ingestion. You can link to the American Medical Association or the National Institutes of Health reports in full, or view the sections of the report dealing with specific conditions, including; AIDS Wasting, Chemotherapy Induced Nausea, Glaucoma, Spasticity Disorders, and Chronic Pain (Analgesia). Also provided is the Final Order of the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concluding the plant material marijuana has no currently accepted medical use and denying the petition of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Controlled Substances Act. (Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 591 Effective Date. March 26, 1992) It is lengthy, but very informative reading. It provides detailed insight into the legal and regulatory review standards that a drug must meet. The role of anecdotes and science is reviewed, and the evidence of each side is considered. Additionally, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted extensive research and issued findings on the effectiveness of marijuana-smoke-as-medicine under the Clinton Administration. The summary of the Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health is provided.
"In May, the high court ruled that the so-called 'medical necessity defense' was at odds with a 1970 federal law that marijuana, heroin and LSD have no medical benefits and cannot be dispensed or prescribed by doctors." (Calif. medical pot fight rekindled, MSNBC, January 8, 2002) "The court ruled on Monday that people in California can be convicted in federal court of distributing marijuana, even though that state allows the drug to be used and distributed for medical purposes." (Ruling puts medical marijuana in jeopardy, Spokesman Review, May 15, 2001) "'The bottom line is, the court is saying the possession and use of marijuana is illegal under federal law,' Larson said, (Gary Larson of the Washington state attorney general's office) 'The question is, what's going to happen.'" (Ruling puts medical marijuana in jeopardy, Spokesman Review, May 15, 2001) ( Hot Quotes from 1995 & 1996)
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