15/02/2008 00:00:00
US: Doctors Pressure Government to Greenlight Medical Marijuana
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One year ago, Los Angeles County received the distinction of being
number one in the nation for the amount of medical marijuana
dispensaries in the country, with close to 50 in operation.
Recently, picking up your prescribed pot got theoretically easier with
the launching of the world's first marijuana vending machines here in
the City of Angels, which is causing international waves from objectors
who cast doubt on the therapeutic validity of the Schedule 1 drug.
Now, the country's largest organization of doctors and internal
medicine, The American College of Physicians (ACP) has released a
position paper calling for an easement federal law regarding the
classification and distribution of pot for medical purposes.
The paper asks for "protection of both doctors and patients from
criminal and civil penalties in states that have adopted
medical-marijuana laws," according to today's LA Times.
Although 12 states, including California, have legalized marijuana,
federal law still dominates, and DEA raids continue to take place on
local dispensaries, like the one LAist photographed in July 2007.
The ACP claims their scientific research smashes the commonly held
beliefs that marijuana is ineffective medically, and that the mainstream
medical community shuns its use. Furthermore, they endorse "the use of
non-smoked forms of cannabis as well as further research to identify the
illnesses best treated with cannabis and the proper dosages for specific
conditions."
They are urging that the drug be dropped from its ranking as a Schedule
1 drug, and state in their paper that they believe "the science on
medical marijuana should not be obscured or hindered by the debate
surrounding the legalization of marijuana for general use."
The government, however, is expected to remain unconvinced, and
unresponsive. While the country's most respected medical collective, the
American Medical Association (AMA), continues to ask for more research,
they do not support the declassification of marijuana; the ACP hopes to
persuade the AMA otherwise. They also hope to put pressure on the
government--particularly now, when all eyes are on the politicians who
are positioned to assume the White House, and bring about change.
http://laist.com/2008/02/15/doctors_pressur.php
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13289
Author:
LAist via UKCIA
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