AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (AMA) OPPOSES MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION
The largest medical group in the US:
- just joined the American Psychiatric Association, who issued a statement last week outlining the public health harms of marijuana
- explicitly rejects calls to become “neutral” on legalization;
- supports full funding of the Office of National Drug Control Policy;
- calls for proper study of Colorado and Washington policies.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD-The delegates at the 2013 Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, in National Harbor, Maryland, today voted to pass a resolution on marijuana, “Council of Science & Public Health Report 2 in Reference Committee K,” explicitly opposing marijuana legalization – fending off a challenge to “neutralize” their position. The report changes H-95.998 AMA Policy Statement on Cannabis to read in part that: “Our AMA believes that (1) cannabis is a dangerous drug and as such is a public health concern; (2) sale and possession of cannabis should not be legalized.”
“The AMA today reiterated the widely held scientific view that marijuana is dangerous and should not be legalized,” commented Dr. Stuart Gitlow, Chair-Elect of the AMA Council on Science and Health and SAM Board Member. “We can only hope that the public will listen to science – not ‘Big Marijuana’ interests who stand to gain millions of dollars from increased addiction rates.”
About Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana)
Project SAM is a nonpartisan alliance of lawmakers, scientists and other concerned citizens who want to move beyond simplistic discussions of “incarceration versus legalization” when discussing marijuana use and instead focus on practical changes in marijuana policy that neither demonizes users nor legalizes the drug. SAM supports a treatment, health-first marijuana policy.
That users are able to focus on driving and pass driving tests, is in no way comparable to driving while loaded, having to react to unexpected incidents while distracted by a myriad of other aspects of their hedonistic lifestyle! Users are by-in-large irresponsible and make the highways and streets unsafe for our families; problem is, the insurance companies do not have access to the fact that their insured is using and driving while loaded. Police are trained to note that drivers are high, but there’s no scientific data to support a charge of DUI. That needs to be the focus of our scientific community to facilitate legislatures passing laws.
INFOGRAPHICS
Driving trends in WA state
A study by Washington state toxicologist, Fiona Couper, projects that the number of car accidents involving marijuana-impaired drivers will increase by over 50% from 2012 to 2013.
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