Marijuana is medicine. It has been used for 1000s of old ages to handle a broad assortment of complaints. Marijuana ( Cannabis sativa L. ) was legal in the United States for all intents – industrial and recreational, every bit good as medicinal until 1937. Today, merely eight Americans are lawfully allowed to utilize marihuana as medical specialty. NORML is working to reconstruct marijuana ’ s handiness as medical specialty. Medicative Value Marijuana, in its natural signifier, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No 1 has of all time died from an overdose.
It is besides highly versatile. Four of its general curative applications include: alleviation from sickness and addition of appetency ; decrease of intraocular ( ” within the oculus ” ) force per unit area ; decrease of musculus cramps ; alleviation from mild to chair chronic hurting. Marijuana is frequently utile in the intervention of the undermentioned conditions: Cancer: Marijuana alleviates the sickness, emesis, and loss of appetency caused by chemotherapy intervention.
AIDS: Marijuana alleviates the sickness, emesis, and loss of appetency caused by the disease itself and by intervention with AZT and other drugs. Glaucoma: Marijuana, by cut downing intraocular force per unit area, alleviates the hurting and slows or hold the advancement of the disease. Glaucoma, which amendss vision by bit by bit increasing oculus force per unit area over clip, is the taking cause of sightlessness in the United States. Multiple Sclerosis: Marijuana reduces the musculus hurting and spasticity caused by the disease.
It may besides alleviate shudder and ricketiness of pace, and it helps some patients with vesica control. Multiple induration is the taking cause of neurological disablement among immature and middle-aged grownups in the United States. Epilepsy: Marijuana prevents epileptic ictuss in some patients. Chronic Pain: Marijuana reduces the chronic, frequently enfeebling hurting caused by a assortment of hurts and upsets.
Each of these utilizations has been recognized as legitimate at least one time by assorted tribunals, legislative assemblies, authorities, or scientific bureaus throughout the United States. Presently, such good well-thought-of organisations as the National Academy of Sciences ( 1982 ) , the California Medical Association ( 1993 ) , the Federation of American Scientists ( 1994 ) , the Australian Commonwealth Department of Human Servicess and Health ( 1994 ) , the American Public Health Association ( 1995 ) , the San Francisco Medical Society ( 1996 ) , the California Academy of Family Doctors ( 1996 ) , every bit good as several province nursing associations have supported the usage of marihuana as a medical specialty.
In add-on, anecdotal grounds exists that marihuana is effectual in the intervention of arthritis, megrim concerns, pruritis, catamenial spasms, intoxicant and opiate dependence, and depression and other temper upsets. Marijuana could benefit every bit many as five million patients in the United States. However, except for the eight persons given particular permission by the federal authorities, marihuana remains illegal-even as medical specialty!
Persons presently enduring from any of the aforesaid complaints, for whom the standard legal medical options have non been safe or effectual, are left with two picks: Continue to endure from the effects of the disease ; or Obtain marihuanas illicitly and put on the line the possible effects, which may include: an deficient supply because of the prohibition-inflated monetary value or inaccessibility ; impure, contaminated, or chemically debased marihuana ; apprehensions, mulcts, tribunal costs, belongings forfeiture, captivity, probation, and condemnable records.
Background: The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 established the federal prohibition of marihuana. Dr. William C. Woodward of the American Medical Association testified against the Act, reasoning that it would finally forestall any medicative usage of marihuana. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 established five classs, or “ agendas, ” into which all illicit and prescription drugs were placed. Marijuana was placed in Schedule I, which defines the substance as holding a high potency for maltreatment, no presently accepted medical usage in intervention in the United States, and a deficiency of recognized safety for usage under medical supervising. This definition is merely non accurate. However, at the clip of the Controlled Substances Act, marihuana had been illegal for more than 30 old ages.
Its medicative utilizations had been forgotten and its “ reefer lunacy ” stigma was still prevalent. Marijuana ’ s medicative utilizations were rediscovered as a consequence of the enormous addition in the figure of recreational users in the seventiess: Marijuana ’ s popularity compelled many scientists to analyze its wellness effects. They later discovered marijuana ’ s singular history as a medical specialty, animating many surveies of its curative potency ; Many recreational users who besides happened to be afflicted with conditions for which marihuana has curative possible unwittingly discovered its medicative benefits. As the intelligence spread, the figure of patients illicitly utilizing marihuana medicinally began to increase.
Because marihuana is a Agenda I substance, nevertheless, physicians were non allowed to order it, and research blessing an vitamin D support were badly restricted. The Struggle In Court: In 1972, NORML initiated attempts to reschedule marihuanas by subjecting a request to the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs-now the Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) .
After 14 old ages of legal maneuvering, the DEA eventually acceded to NORML ’ s demand for the public hearings required by jurisprudence. Following the hearings, which lasted two old ages and included 1000s of pages of certification every bit good as the testimony of legion doctors and patients, a determination was reached. On September 6, 1988, the DEA ’ s Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis L. Young, ruled: Marijuana, in its natural signifier, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. [ T ] he commissariats of the [ Controlled Substances ] Act license and necessitate the transportation of marihuana from Schedule I to Schedule II.
It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and freakish for DEA to go on to stand between those sick persons and the benefits of this substance. [ Docket No. 86-22 ] & gt ; Marijuana ’ s arrangement in Schedule II would let physicians to order it to their patients. Bureaucrats in charge of the DEA rejected Judge Young ’ s opinion and refused to reschedule! Two entreaties subsequently, NORML experienced its first licking in the 22-year-old case. On February 18, 1994, the U.S. Court of Appeals ( D.C. Circuit ) upheld the DEA ’ s determination to maintain marihuana in Schedule I.
It seems that every bit long as the DEA-a jurisprudence enforcement agency-is allowed to put its ain standards used to find what “ medical specialty ” is, the tribunals will be unable to necessitate the DEA to reschedule marihuana. Impermanent Compasssion In 1975, Robert Randall, a glaucoma patient, was arrested for cultivating his ain medicative marihuana. He won his instance by utilizing the “ defence of medical necessity, ” coercing the authorities to happen a manner to supply him with his medical specialty.
The Compassionate Investigative New Drug ( IND ) plan was therefore created, through which patients could obtain marihuanas from the authorities. The plan, while helpful to some, was exhaustively unequal at allowing legal entree to the 1000000s of patients who are in demand of medicative marihuana: Most patients didn ’ t even see the possibility that an illegal drug might be their best medical specialty ; Most patients lucky plenty to detect marijuana ’ s medicative value didn ’ t happen out about the IND plan ; Most of those who did happen out about the plan couldn ’ t happen physicians willing to take on the grueling, time-consuming undertaking of registering an IND application.
In June 1991, the Public Health Service announced that the plan would be suspended because it undercut the Bush disposal ’ s resistance to the usage of illegal drugs. After that, no new Compassionate INDs were granted, and the plan was discontinued in March 1992. On January 4, 1994, the U.S. Public Health Service ( PHS ) announced that it would reconsider the prohibition.
On July 18, 1994, the PHS decided that it would adhere to Bush ’ s heartless policy and announced that the IND plan would remain closed. Soon, eight patients continue to have marihuana under the original plan ; for everyone else it is officially a out medical specialty. Hope for reform: There is an tremendous sum of public support for stoping the prohibition of medicative marihuana: Between 1978 and 1996, 36 provinces pass statute law acknowledging marijuana ’ s medicative value. ( They remain stymied by the federal authorities ’ s cover prohibition of marihuana, nevertheless. )
A 1990 scientific study of oncologists ( malignant neoplastic disease specializers ) found that 54 per centum of those with an sentiment favour the controlled medical handiness of marihuana and 44 per centum had already broken the jurisprudence by proposing at least one time that a patient obtain marihuana illicitly. These findings are subsequently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. At NORML ’ s urging, U.S. Representative Barney Frank ( D-Mass. ) introduces statute law in Congress in 1995 ( H.R. 2618 ) to amend the federal jurisprudence to let physician ’ s to lawfully order marihuana as a medical specialty to patients.
NORML testifies before Congress in 1996 on behalf of medical marihuana. The legislative assembly of Washington province appropriates over $ 100,000 in 1996 to carry on clinical surveies on patients to find the effectivity of medical marihuana in the intervention of serious unwellnesss. The appropriation besides fund research on cultivating medical marihuana in a tamper-free environment and explores possible ways in which the province can lawfully administer the drug for medical usage. Due in portion to the activism of NORML members, a California enterprise to legalise marihuana for medical intents ( Proposition 215 ) gathers plenty signatures to be placed on the November 1996 election ballot.
In August, both the San Francisco Medical Society and the California Academy of Family Physicians — stand foring a combined sum of about 10,000 doctors statewide — endorse the proposition. The challenge for compassionate Americans is to interpret this public support into effectual reform. It may non be easy to interrupt the DEA ’ s stranglehold on medicative marihuana, but it can be done!
