Reminder: The American College of Physicians Supports Medical Cannabis
In 2008, the American College of Physicians (ACP), the nation’s leading group of internal medicine physicians – with over 130,000 members – released an official position paper declaring their stance on medical c
annabis. In the paper, the group declares that cannabis has vast medical value – helping with a wide range of ailments – and that the government shouldn’t stand in the way of further research.
In their official paper, the ACP makes several official positions on cannabis, the first being that they support “programs and funding for rigorous scientific evaluation of the potential therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana and the publication of such findings”. They also takes the position that they urge “an evidence-based review of marijuana’s status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule.” Activists known, of course, that an “evidence-based review” of marijuana’s status as a schedule 1 drug would clearly find that its placement is absurd.
On top of simply supporting further research, the group also “strongly supports an exemption from federal prosecution” for physicians who prescribe or distribute cannabis while following state law. Similarly, the ACP “strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws”.
This paper should be used often when constituents are contacting their elected officials regarding medical cannabis, especially those who try to claim that it isn’t a medicine.
You can read their entire position paper by clicking here.
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