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An
ever increasing number of health-related organisations, government-commissioned
reports and experts are endorsing the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
In addition, in almost every recent public poll the general public have
shown that they too are in favour of allowing medical users to treat
their diseases in their chosen, effective way. A tiny fraction of these
are shown below.
Views
from the UK
The
Royal Society
The
Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences have prepared a document
in July '98, entitled The Use of Cannabis and its Derivatives for Medical
and Recreational Purposes which forms their joint submission to the
House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee enquiry. The
document summarises the evidence for medical cannabis and concludes
that the current medical data is insufficient to support the medical
prescribing of cannabis as yet, because of the psychoactive and physiological
side-effects and the evidence that tolerance and mild dependence can
occur. They do not support smoking cannabis for medical purposes because
smoke from herbal cannabis contains toxic substances similar to those
from cigarette smoke. However they call for controlled clinical trials
and laboratory research be conducted with cannabinoids, including isolated
single components of cannabis (e.g. THC), extracts of herbal cannabis,
as well as selective CB1 and CB2 compounds.
British
Medical Association
In
November '97 the BMA released an 80 page report entitled, Therapeutic
Uses of Cannabis (Harwood Academic Publishers, £11.99, ISBN 90 5702
3180), which calls on the government to make cannabis derivatives more
widely available on prescription, and to allow research into the medical
effects of herbal cannabis. It contains a review of all the available
research literature and is an essential purchase for campaigners, patients
and doctors. To order a copy phone 0171 383 6244/6638 or purchase it
at the BMJ bookshop website.
Or you can order it through major medical bookstores.
The BMA also have a "panel" of more than 150 doctors, who are regularly
consulted on various issues, with the results published in their journal.
In February '94, 74% of them believed that cannabis should be available
on prescription.
The
House of Lords
The
House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology released their
Ninth Report, considering medical usages of cannabis. After reviewing
the evidence the called for clinical trials of cannabis for the treatment
of MS and chronic pain to take place 'as a matter of urgency'. The also
requested research into delivery methods of cannabis and cannabinoids
other than via smoking. They also wished to see cannabis moved from
Schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs regulations to Schedule 2, thus allowing
doctors to prescribe it. Minutes
of evidence taken before the Select Committeeon Science and Technology,
7th February 2001
General
Practitioners
This
mirrored the findings of a survey carried out by Channel 4 in March
'95, when 70% of doctors thought cannabis should be available on prescription.
Presidents of the Royal Medical Colleges
The heads of the medical royal colleges were surveyed by the Observer
in May '94. All nine respondents thought there should be more research
into medical cannabis, 6 of them thought that cannabis should be available
on prescription, and 3 thought that cannabis should be decriminalised
for recreational purposes too. The president of the Royal College of
Anaesthestists went further. Professor Spence thinks that cannabis should
be totally legal, so that research can be carried out.
General
Public
In
early November '95, an incredible 98% of callers to a phone in poll
during The Time, The Place TV program supported medical cannabis.
In
March '95 a survey carried out by the Independent found 70% of the population
in favour of medical cannabis
Views
from abroad
Federation
of American Scientists
The
Federation of American Scientists (FAS) wants the US government to allow
and carry out research on the medical cannabis issue, and it wants them
to do it quickly. The ACT
press release about FAS' petition of November 94 is availiable here.
National
Nurses Society on Addictions
The
US National Nurses Society on Addictions (NNSA) wants the government
to make cannabis availiable on prescription, supports all research and
urges the American Nurses Association and other health care professional
organisations to support patient access to the medicine. Their position
paper was approved in May '95.
California
Medical Association
The
California Medical Association have endorsed the prescriptive use of
cannabis for the treatment of "life-threatening and sense-threatening
diseases including AIDS, cancer and glaucoma".
36
US states have passed legislation recognising the therapeutic potential
of cannabis. Unfortunately the US federal government laws prevent these
laws from having any effect.
Virginia
Nurses Association
The US Virginia Nurses Association (VNA) was the first nurses association
to support medical cannabis. At their October '94 meeting they resolved
to support "all reasonable efforts" to make cannabis availiable for
legitimate medical uses, to educate Virginia's nurses about the therapeutic
uses of marijuana and the government prohibition of its use, to encourage
other professional bodies to support medical cannabis and to submit
similar resolutions to the American Nurses Association. Online you can
find the VNA's position
paper, a copy
of the resolution and the ACT
press release about it.
Finnish Medical Association
A Swedish-language newspaper published in Finland, Hufvudstadsbladet,
reported on 24 October, 1998: "The doctors are not encouraging cannabis
use, but are presenting a more nuanced picture. It was also said yesterday
that cannabis has possible therapeutic effects in the treatment of cancer
and HIV - it can possibly reduce pain and feelings of nausea."
The
US Institutes of Medicine
The
IOM produced a length report in 1999 entitled Marijuana and medicine
- Assessing the science base. They reviewed lots of scientific evidence
as to cannabis' medical possibilities, finding a great deal of potential
cannabis-based treatments for various diseases. They recommended further
clinical trials should take place for various symptoms, with a view
to finding a rapid, safe delivery system. In the mean time, despite
being somewhat undesirable in their opinion, they recommended short-term
used of smoked marijuana, under the following conditions:
- failure
of all approved medications to provide relief has been documented;
-
the symptoms can reasonably be expected to be relieved by rapid-onset
cannabinoid drugs;
-
such treatment is administered under medical supervision in a manner
that allows for assessment of treatment effectiveness;
-
and involves an oversight strategy comparable to an institutional
review board process that could provide guidance within 24 hours of
a submission by a physician to provide marijuana to a patient for
a specified use.
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