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Unanimous Vote Signals Growing Acceptance of Medical Marijuana
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a unanimous vote, the Assembly of the American
Psychiatric Association has approved a strongly worded statement
supporting legal protection for patients using medical marijuana with
their doctor's recommendation.
The APA action paper, which must be approved by the APA Board of
Trustees when it meets in December, notes that 12 states now have
medical marijuana laws, and states, "The threat of arrest by federal
agents, however, still exists. Seriously ill patients living in these
states with medical marijuana recommendations from their doctors
should not be subjected to the threat of punitive federal prosecution
for merely attempting to alleviate the chronic pain, side effects, or
symptoms associated with their conditions or resulting from their
overall treatment regimens. ... [We] support protection for patients
and physicians participating in state approved medical marijuana
programs."
This and a second action paper calling on the government to
facilitate "well-designed clinical research into the medical utility
of marijuana" were adopted Saturday with no dissenting votes by the
APA Assembly, which represents the group's 74 district branches and
16 allied professional organizations.
"This vote is a landmark, and a proud day for our profession." said
Abraham L. Halpern, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at New
York Medical College and past president of the American Academy of
Psychiatry and the Law. "As physicians, we cannot abide our patients
being subject to arrest and jail for using a physician-recommended
treatment that clearly relieves suffering for many who are not helped
by conventional treatments."
"This unanimous vote shows the growing acceptance of medical
marijuana by organized medicine," said Rob Kampia, executive director
of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "Members of
Congress who have opposed efforts to protect patients from federal
prosecution have tried to portray medical marijuana as a fringe
issue. But the APA Assembly vote, along with other recent
endorsements including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, shows that
it's those who want to arrest the sick and suffering who are on the
fringe."
With 40,000 members and 16 allied organizations (including the
American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Association for Social
Psychiatry, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and the
American Association of Emergency Psychiatrists), the American
Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization for
psychiatrists in the United States. |
