AMA reconsiders medical marijuana
November 12, 2009, 4:52 pm
HOUSTON (BP)--The American Medical Association is calling for a federal
review of marijuana's classification as a dangerous drug with no
accepted medical use, approving a revised policy Nov. 10 that won
praise from marijuana supporters.
The physicians group said its
intention is to open avenues for clinical research toward the
development of cannabis-based medicines and alternative ways of
delivering the drug.
A Southern Baptist public policy expert,
however, noted that declassification is not needed for conducting
marijuana-related research.
The AMA, at its interim policymaking
meeting in Houston, rejected a proposal to outright urge the
rescheduling of marijuana, which now is considered a Schedule I
controlled substance, the most restrictive category. Schedule I, which
also includes heroin and LSD, is the only classification of controlled
substances that cannot be prescribed by a physician.
The group
also rejected an amendment that said "smoking is an inherently unsafe
delivery method for any therapeutic agent, and therefore smoked
marijuana should not be recommended for medical use."
The AMA
claims 250,000 members, but that figure often is questioned by various
estimates that it represents only 25 to 40 percent of U.S. doctors.
As
part of the new policy, the AMA said it was not signaling approval of
the 13 states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
"This
should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis
programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on
the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a
prescription drug product," the AMA said.
In response to the
AMA's revised policy, the Drug Enforcement Administration said, "At
this point, it's still a Schedule I drug, and we're going to treat it
as such," and the Food and Drug Administration, which in the past has
rejected the use of marijuana for medical purposes, declined to
comment, The Los Angeles Times said.
The Marijuana Policy
Project, a Washington-based marijuana advocacy group, called the AMA's
policy change "big news" and said it "falls in line with what is
quickly becoming a universal understanding in American medicine:
Marijuana has undeniable medical uses and federal law should reflect
that reality."
"The AMA's previous position was often cited by
medical marijuana opponents as evidence that the drug's medical
efficacy was in question," the MPP's blog said. "This new policy will
go a long way to convincing politicians and policy makers that the
compassionate use of medical marijuana should not be blocked by
outdated marijuana laws."
Barrett Duke, vice president for
public policy and research at the Southern Baptist Ethics &
Religious Liberty Commission, said the devastating effects marijuana
use has on millions of people causes him to remain opposed to any
changes in policy that diminish public perception of marijuana or that
enable easier access to its recreational use.
"I recognize,
however, that the drug may have some beneficial medicinal benefits,"
Duke told Baptist Press. "For example, it's possible that it may be
useful for people suffering from glaucoma and for those who need an
appetite stimulant.
"If responsible, rigorous research by
qualified scientists can demonstrate that the active ingredient in
marijuana has useful medical benefits that cannot be achieved through
other less dangerous sources, then I would not be opposed to its
application in those situations, so long as they are administered under
close medical supervision," Duke said.
"However, I am opposed to
any effort to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance
in order to make this determination. Schedule I classification does not
prevent research on marijuana's potential medicinal benefits. Until the
drug is proven to have real, unique medicinal value, it must remain
classified as the dangerous drug that it is," he said.
In its
report to the House of Delegates in Houston, the AMA's Council on
Science and Public Health wrote, "Results of short term controlled
trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves
appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle
mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple
sclerosis.
"However, the patchwork of state-based systems that
have been established for 'medical marijuana' is woefully inadequate in
establishing even rudimentary safeguards that normally would be applied
to the appropriate clinical use of psychoactive substances.
"The
future of cannabinoid-based medicine lies in the rapidly evolving field
of botanical drug substance development, as well as the design of
molecules that target various aspects of the endocannabinoid system. To
the extent that rescheduling marijuana out of Schedule I will benefit
this effort, such a move can be supported," the report said.
The
AMA took a stance on two other controversial issues, passing a
resolution opposing the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and
another resolution arguing that bans on "gay marriage" negatively
impact the health of homosexual partners.
The resolution on the
military policy says it violates the confidentiality of military
doctors and patients, the Houston Chronicle reported. The "gay
marriage" resolution said bans reduce the likelihood that same-sex
partners will have health insurance. Some critics of the AMA's actions
said the problems cited could be fixed without reversing military
policy or overturning marriage laws.
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Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.