AMA Calls For Ending The “Schedule I Lie” Nov/ 12/ 2009

[RxxY]

AMA Calls For Ending The “Schedule I Lie”
November 10th, 2009 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

   


The Schedule I federal classification of cannabis — which states that, by law, the marijuana plant and its natural compounds have “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States” — has long since passed the point of farcical. Nevertheless, defenders of the so-called “Schedule I lie” have possessed, for nearly 30 years, one prestigious ally that they could always rely on to endorse their absurd position: the American Medical Association.

Not anymore!

Today the AMA voted to reverse its longstanding endorsement of cannabis’ Schedule I prohibitive status. The vote took place during the organization’s annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates in Houston, Texas, and marks the first time that the AMA has revisited its position on cannabis in eight years.

As newly amended, the AMA’s official position (see specifically pages 12, 13, and 14) regarding the medical use of cannabis no longer “recommends that marijuana be retained in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.” Rather, the Association now resolves “that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines.”

The AMA also today demolished long-held pot prohibitionist claim — frequently publicized by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and others — that “no sound scientific studies have supported medical use of smoked marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data support the safety or efficacy of smoked marijuana for general medical use.” To the contrary, the AMA has adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, “Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes,” which states, “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.”

Now that the AMA has finally acknowledged reality, is anyone else wondering if David Evans (or the DEA) will finally update their talking points?

http://blog.norml.org/2009/11/10/ama-calls-for-ending-the-schedule-i-lie/#comments

[HighMtnSkier]

No matter what the motives of the AMA are, removing Cannabis off Schedule 1 is a good thing for supply, and helps to remove the stigma associated with it.

I gotta admit, when I first saw the announcement on NORML.org, I shed a tear. Has anyone else noticed, since this was announced almost a week ago,  there's been no public rebuttal from the ONDCP, DEA, DOJ or any other prohibitionist group on this? That leads me to (optimistically) think that we've already won the war, but need to be patient until the peace treaty has been signed. I so hope I'm not wrong on that.

[wyldspirit]

Is there any chance this can be revoked? I'm hopeful that some day weed will be legal but every step forward seems to also come with a step back. Also, has the media been covering this? I'm sure the good folks at FOX would love to spin this into a story of how weed will be used by the government to mind control the populace or some other fantastical and unbalanced left wing propoganda that they excell at.

[J.T.H.C.]

Is there any chance this can be revoked? I'm hopeful that some day weed will be legal but every step forward seems to also come with a step back. Also, has the media been covering this? I'm sure the good folks at FOX would love to spin this into a story of how weed will be used by the government to mind control the populace or some other fantastical and unbalanced left wing propoganda that they excell at.

Not to start anything but........FOX........left wing????????

[Derek Rosenzweig]

Yea no offense but Fox is anything but left wing. They can bitch and moan about it all they like but it won't stop the inevitable. AMA's position was something that a lot of legislators used to dismiss arguments for medical marijuana, and that is no longer an option for them.

[wyldspirit]

Belive it or not, I was under the influence of a thermos full of coffee and not weed when I called FOX left wing. There is no doubt FOX is way to the right, I can't believe Jesus isn't one of their broadcast personalities. Better yet, Jesus riding two humvees welded together while he blazez a path through us drug deviants with twin assault rifles a'blazin'.

[Pallidus127]

I've actually been amazed.  Fox seems to be covering the movement more then any other network.  They just had a special where every day at "high noon" they would discuss marijuana related issues.  They seem to be avoiding any moral issue by talking about how much money marijuana could generate as an industry. 

[J.T.H.C.]

High Noon, that is awesome.  Really as far as I know FOX could be left wing now, I haven't watched actual television in over 5 years.  I own a TV but movies and PS2 are all it sees.

[Derek Rosenzweig]

Their local affiliates are usually not that bad, it's their national news that's a problem. Even so, they have been at least talking about it seriously on the air for the most part lately.

[prescott_norco]

I take vicodin and oxycodone for the treatment of this disease because the doctor prescribed me after a thorough examination, seek information and findrxonline logically points out that these medicines should be tightly controlled by its high content of codeine and this makes one induces these opioids.

[JTSpangler]

The legal language making Cannabis a Schedule I Controlled Substance is statutory, and will thus require Congressional action to amend or delete it.  It would seem that advocates could use the same evidence of the currently recognized medical uses for Cannabis to rebut the Schedule I conclusion that there are no medically recognized uses.  As we dive deeper into the Afghanistan quagmire and Congress struggles to produce a financially honest and politically workable healthcare bill, I'm not holding my breath waiting for Cannabis to go to the top of the list of legislative priorities.  Until Obama leaves office in 2013, citizens in Compassionate MMJ states are mostly safe from federal prosecution, but all bets are off after then.  And if the GOP picks up a good chunk of seats in 2010 as is expected, getting Cannabis rescheduled will be more difficult.