Does Marijuana have Medical Value?

• “No”

  

  “Marijuana is Not Prescribed By Medical Professionals”

• “Objection”

  

  “Marijuana is a Plant, Not a Pill”
  

• “Objection”

  

  “Marijuana is Not Prescribed Because it Can't Be”
  

Marijuana is Not Prescribed By Medical Professionals

Drug Free America Foundation

Expert Verified | See Profile

Recommend (0) Comments (6)

 Is marijuana prescribed by medical professionals?

               No

*    Doctors cannot prescribe a non-FDA approved substance; in medical excuse marijuana states, they can recommend it.

*    None of the major medical associations recommends smoked or raw marijuana (link to list).

*    In the states with marijuana dispensaries, the vast majority of users are not terminally ill. Confiscated patient records from San Diego note that only 2 percent of marijuana users reported having AIDS, glaucoma or cancer.

*    Doctors would be liable and not covered by insurance for recommending a non-FDA approved drug.

*    Patients’ rights would be negatively impacted

Evidence

Text

Smoked Marijuana As Medicine Has Been Rejected by the:

American Medical Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
American Glaucoma Society
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Cancer Society
American Society of Addiction Medicine

Text

Marijuana Rescheduling Petitions

Bonner, R., Marijuana Rescheduling Petitions, 57 Federal Register 10499-10508; Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics v. DEA and NORML v. DEA, 15 F.3d 1131 (D.C. Cir 1994)

Text

Institute of Medicine

Recently, the federal Institute of Medicine also conducted research on this issue and they see "little future in smoked marijuana as a medicine." SOURCE: John A. Benson, Jr., Co-Principal Investigator, in releasing Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, 1999.

Text

FDA Statement

Inter-Agency Advisory Regarding Claims That Smoked Marijuana Is a Medicine

Claims have been advanced asserting smoked marijuana has a value in treating various medical conditions. Some have argued that herbal marijuana is a safe and effective medication and that it should be made available to people who suffer from a number of ailments upon a doctor's recommendation, even though it is not an approved drug.

Marijuana is listed in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most restrictive schedule. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which administers the CSA, continues to support that placement and FDA concurred because marijuana met the three criteria for placement in Schedule I under 21 U.S.C. 812(b)(1) (e.g., marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and has a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision). Furthermore, there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful. A past evaluation by several Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), concluded that no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use. There are alternative FDA-approved medications in existence for treatment of many of the proposed uses of smoked marijuana.

FDA is the sole Federal agency that approves drug products as safe and effective for intended indications. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act requires that new drugs be shown to be safe and effective for their intended use before being marketed in this country. FDA's drug approval process requires well-controlled clinical trials that provide the necessary scientific data upon which FDA makes its approval and labeling decisions. If a drug product is to be marketed, disciplined, systematic, scientifically conducted trials are the best means to obtain data to ensure that drug is safe and effective when used as indicated. Efforts that seek to bypass the FDA drug approval process would not serve the interests of public health because they might expose patients to unsafe and ineffective drug products. FDA has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease indication.

A growing number of states have passed voter referenda (or legislative actions) making smoked marijuana available for a variety of medical conditions upon a doctor's recommendation. These measures are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are proven safe and effective under the standards of the FD&C Act. Accordingly, FDA, as the federal agency responsible for reviewing the safety and efficacy of drugs, DEA as the federal agency charged with enforcing the CSA, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, as the federal coordinator of drug control policy, do not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes.

Text

Officials Say Drug Raids Found Clubs Were A Front

Murphy, D. Officials say drug raids found clubs were a front. New York Times; June 24, 2005.

Text

Authorities Raid Eleven San Diego Dispensaries

10News.com; July 7, 2006.

Next Argument

"No" Drug Free America

• Marijuana is Not the Answer
  0
• No Relief from M.S., Chronic Pain or Glaucoma
  0
• Smoking is Never a Good Idea
  0
• The Side Effects Aren't Worth It
  0
• Marijuana is Not Prescribed By Medical Professionals
  0

"Yes" Amer Alliance for Med Cannabis

• Marijuana Treats Anxiety Disorders
  18
• Marijuana Treats Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  14
• Marijuana Treats Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  17
• Marijuana Treats Depression
  15

"Yes" Marijuana Policy Project

• Marijuana Relieves Pain When Conventional Drugs Fail
  15
• Marijuana Lets Patients Continue Life-Saving Treatment
  11
• Marijuana is Safer than Many Legal Medicines
  12
• Existing Medicines are not Adequate Substitutes
  10
• Marijuana Has Been Recognized as a Medicine for 5,000 Years
  12

"Yes" ASA

• Cannabis (Marijuana) is a Safe and Effective Medicine
  8
• Marijuana Medicines are Legal in Other Countries: US Trials Ongoing
  8
• Americans Who are Ill Deserve the Most Health Options Possible
  8

Most Objections

• Marijuana is Not Prescribed By Medical Professionals
  0
• Marijuana is Not the Answer
  0
• No Relief from M.S., Chronic Pain or Glaucoma
  0
• Smoking is Never a Good Idea
  0

Is Marijuana a Medicine?

• Yes
• No

View Results