"Medical" Marijuana
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve of the use of smoked marijuana for so-called medical purposes, and its use is, therefore, unregulated. This has significant implications for patient care since there are too many health risks associated with such use.
Marijuana remains a Schedule I drug because it has no accepted medical value and has a high potential for addiction. There is no scientifically documented benefit for the use of crude marijuana for any medical purpose. In fact, crude smoked marijuana has been rejected by major reputable national medical associations in the country including the American Medical Association, the American Ophthalmic Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Cancer Society.
Who will really be smoking marijuana under the guise of medicine? Proponents of “medical” marijuana want you to believe that only those with debilitating medical conditions who have unsuccessfully sought out other effective, approved treatment will qualify for “medical” marijuana. This is not true! One only needs to look at the numbers from states that have passed such legislation to see how widely the programs are being abused. Some state examples include:
- As of July 1, 2009 the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program has 20,307 individuals that legally hold “medical” marijuana ID cards and of those, 88% are treating “severe pain” (an indefinable term that is being used to cover medical conditions such as menstrual cramps, headaches, and minor arthritis) rather than the more serious conditions such as cancer (4.2%), glaucoma (1.6%), and HIV+/AIDS (2.3%). Another 5,698 applications for ID cards are pending.
- As of July 31, 2009, the Colorado Marijuana Registry Program has 11,094 individuals that legally hold registry ID cards and of those, 90% are treating “severe pain” (as explained above), and 27% are treating “muscle spasms” rather than the more serious conditions such as cancer (3%), glaucoma (1%), and HIV+/AIDS (1%). The overall average age of participants is 41, and 73% of approved applicants are male. Of the approved applicants, 55% live in the Denver/Boulder area.
- Even more alarming are the numbers from California. In cities like San Diego where the issue has been closely examined, only 2% of those smoking marijuana as “medicine” have serious conditions such as AIDS, glaucoma and cancer. A full 98% are “treating” more minor conditions such as back and neck pain, anxiety, muscle spasms, insomnia, headaches and other insignificant conditions. But even more troubling is that 12% of the users are under 21!
Marijuana as a so-called medicine sends the wrong message to our nation’s youth. Years of marijuana prevention and education will be undermined by pot dispensaries opening up next to ballet and karate shops as they did in Yucca Valley, California. Reports compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services dating from 1999-2006 find states that have legalized marijuana under the guise of medicine continue to rank in the top ten for states with the highest marijuana use in the 12 and older age category.
Crude smoked marijuana does not meet the Drug Enforcement Administration’s five-part test for determining whether a drug is in “currently accepted medical use.” The test requires that:
- the drug’s chemistry must be known and reproducible
- there must be adequate safety studies
- there must be adequate and well-controlled studies providing efficacy
- the drug must be accepted by qualified experts
- the scientific evidence must be widely available
