Internists Tell Feds to Lighten Up on Marijuana

[amsterdamage]

Probably won't change anything overnight but it's real good to see a large group of
physicians calling for legalization. The more pressure put on the legislators the better!!

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/02/...googlenews_wsj

Ease off on marijuana, a national doctor group is telling the feds.

The American College of Physicians, 124,000 members strong, has issued a 13-page position paper asking the federal
government to drop marijuana from its classification as a substance considered to have no medicinal value and a high chance of abuse.

“They’ve said essentially that the federal government has it all wrong”. The ACP, which represents internists, is the largest
physician group to date to ask for such a classification change, he says.

The Sun reports that the ACP’s declaration could pressure legislators and regulators to consider pushing for the schedule change.

[amsterdamage]

Seems to be a bit of a trend amongst medical groups recently. In November the American Psychiatric Association Assembly decided to back medical marijuana.

Hopefully this trend will continue to increase until the Government is no longer able to ignore it!!

http://salem-news.com/articles/novem...psyc_11707.php

In a unanimous vote, the Assembly of the American Psychiatric Association has approved a strongly worded statement supporting legal protection for patients using medical marijuana with their doctor's recommendation.

"This is a very large and important medical organization, it isn't some fringe group,"

This is not the first, but the second action paper calling on the government to facilitate "well-designed clinical research into the medical utility of marijuana" were adopted Saturday with no dissenting votes by the APA Assembly, which represents the group's 74 district branches and 16 allied professional organizations.


"This vote is a landmark, and a proud day for our profession." said Abraham L. Halpern, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at New York Medical College and past president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. "As physicians, we cannot abide our patients being subject to arrest and jail for using a physician-recommended treatment that clearly relieves suffering for many who are not helped by conventional treatments."

[nushaganazad]

good news to read

[cackpircings]

thanks man!

[Mr. Bunglesmith]

We need more people like them. Anyone who is anti-marijuana right now, will most likely not be persuaded by one of us "stupid dumb stoners." It'll be hard for them to say that doctors are stupid and dumb though. These kinds of reports will hopefully force people to realize that we "dumb stoners" have been right from day 1.

[amsterdamage]

Just to add a bit more about health organizations that now support an end to the prohibition:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...0,257484.story

In the 12 years since California voters approved the nation's first-ever medical marijuana law, several medical organizations -- including the American Nurses Assn. and the American Public Health Assn. -- have urged Congress to make cannabis a legal medicine.

[doob3r]

this is such a good push in the right direction