Thailand became the first Southeast Asian country to legalize medical marijuana. The military-appointed National Legislative Assembly approved medical marijuana in a vote of 166-0, while 13 members did not vote. The law will legalize production, import, export, possession, and use of medical marijuana.
via: ProCon.org - Thailand Legalizes Medical Marijuana
How Addictive Is Marijuana? Expert opinions on the addictiveness of cannabis range from less addictive than caffeine to “highly addicting.” Read quotes and find estimates of marijuana dependence in our updated question.
(via Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org)
Source: medicalmarijuana.procon.org
Controversial Issues in the News: Marijuana Medical Cannabis Debate
Efforts by legislators are underway asking the federal government to de-schedule marijuana. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule I drug, which means the drug is considered to have a “high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,” and “a lack of accepted safety for any use of the drug.” Without rescheduling, or removing the drug from the federal schedule, marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a bipartisan nongovernmental organization (NGO) composed of legislators and legislative staff members, approved a resolution on Aug. 7, 2017 stating, “the National Conference of State Legislatures believes that the Controlled Substances Act should be amended to remove cannabis from scheduling thus enabling financial institutions the ability to provide banking services to cannabis related businesses.” The NCSL recommends allowing each state to …
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Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC - Laws, Fees, and Possession Limits
Source: procon.org
Efforts by legislators are underway asking the federal government to de-schedule marijuana. Currently, marijuana is a Schedule I drug, which means the drug is considered to have a “high potential for abuse,” “no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,” and “a lack of accepted safety for any use of the drug.” Without rescheduling, or removing the drug from the federal schedule, marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a bipartisan nongovernmental organization (NGO) composed of legislators and legislative staff members, approved a resolution on Aug. 7, 2017 stating, “the National Conference of State Legislatures believes that the Controlled Substances Act should be amended to remove cannabis from scheduling thus enabling financial institutions the ability to provide banking services to cannabis related businesses.” The NCSL recommends allowing each state to craft legislation and regulations so that there may be “increase[d] transparency, public safety, and economic development where it is wanted.”
Additionally, on Aug. 2, 2017 Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Marijuana Justice Act, which would deschedule cannabis, removing marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and, therefore, the jurisdiction of the US Drug Enforcement Agency. With Booker’s legislation, each state would set its own policies regarding marijuana and some federal funding would be withheld from states that do not legalize marijuana if their arrest and incarceration rates are racially skewed. Booker stated, “Descheduling marijuana and applying that change retroactively to people currently serving time for marijuana offenses is a necessary step in correcting this unjust system.” Earlier this year, Representatives Tom Garrett (R-VA) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) proposed marijuana de-scheduling in their Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, as did Representative Jared Polis (D-CO) in his Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.
In response to Senator Booker’s bill, Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), stated, “Given the opioid epidemic, legislative energy would be much better spent implementing solutions to that crisis. But the Big Marijuana lobbyists are probably very happy.”
Medical marijuana is legal in 29 states and DC, and marijuana is legal for adult use in eight states.
(via Lawmakers Urge Federal Government to De-Schedule Marijuana - ProCon.org)
Source: procon.org
18 States with Laws Specifically about Legal Cannabidiol (CBD)
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the 400+ ingredients found in marijuana and is not psychoactive. Many states have passed laws allowing for the use of a CBD extract, usually in oil form, with minimal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and often for the treatment of epilepsy or seizures in seriously ill children.
We do not consider passing a CBD-specific law to be the equivalent of making medical marijuana legal because these laws do not legalize use of the marijuana plant for medical purposes. See our resource on the legal medical marijuana states for more information.
Source: medicalmarijuana.procon.org
A medical marijuana card holder can be denied gun purchases, according to a 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruling (3-0) on Sep. 1, 2016.
S. Rowan Wilson was not allowed to purchase a gun on the basis of a federal ban on the sale of guns to users of controlled substances (18 U.S.C. § 922 of the 1968 Gun Control Act). While medical marijuana is legal in Nevada, where Wilson lives, marijuana is a Schedule Icontrolled substance and illegal under federal law. Wilson states that she obtained a medical marijuana card in solidarity with those who need to use the drug, but denies using the drug herself. Because Wilson is a medical marijuana card holder, regardless of whether she uses the substance, she was not allowed to purchase the gun.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) released a letter to firearms dealers on Sep. 21, 2011, which states, “any person who uses or is addicted to marijuana, regardless of whether his or her State has passed legislation authorizing marijuana for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, and is prohibited by Federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.” Fred Hauser, the gun dealer from whom Wilson was trying to buy a gun, knew Wilson and knew she was a medical marijuana card holder. Because of Hauser’s perceived obligation to federal law, he denied her purchase.
As a result, Wilson filed the lawsuit on Oct. 18, 2011 against Eric Holder (then US Attorney General), BATFE, and the acting director and assistant director of BATFE, stating that the policy violates her Second Amendment rights. On Dec. 17, 2012, Wilson filed a First Amendment Complaint (FAC), stating that the ban was a violation of her Second Amendment rights, the Equal Protection Clause and procedural Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment, and the First Amendment.
The federal government filed a motion to dismiss the case on Jan. 31, 2013.
On Mar. 18, 2014, US District Court Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed the lawsuit and quoted US v. Dugan, which upheld the constitutionality of § 922 in 2011: “[h]abitual drug users, like career criminals and the mentally ill, more likely will have difficulty exercising self-control, particularly when they are under the influence of controlled substances.”
Wilson appealed the case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on July 21, 2016. The Court ruled on Sep. 1, 2016 that the BATFE’s rules are constitutional. The ruling applies to nine western states, eight of which have legal medical marijuana(Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington).
Chaz Rainey, the lawyer who represented Wilson and plans to appeal the 9th Circuit ruling, stated: “We live in a world where having a medical marijuana card is enough to say you don’t get a gun, but if you’re on the no-fly list your constitutional right is still protected.”
Medical marijuana is currently legal in 25 states. See what the 2016 presidential candidates think about medical marijuana and gun control.
(via ProCon.org)
Source: procon.org
In legal medical marijuana states, the use of prescription drugs for which marijuana is an often-recommended alternative, such as opioid pain killers and antidepressants, dropped between 2010 and 2013, according to a July 2016 study published in Health Affairs. Fewer prescriptions were written for drugs to treat anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, psychosis, seizures, and sleep disorders, all conditions for which marijuana has been recommended. States without legal medical marijuana did not see a decrease in prescriptions.
The study found that painkiller prescriptions in particular dropped by approximately 1,800 doses per year per doctor. The findings echo those of a Mar. 2016 University of Michigan study that found chronic pain clinic patients used opioids 64% less frequently when allowed to use medical marijuana.
The July 2016 study examined prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D enrollees in 17 states and Washington, DC, and found a $165.2 million national reduction in overall Medicare spending in 2013 in states with legal medical marijuana. In Massachusetts, where medical marijuana was legalized in Jan. 2013, Medicare spending dropped about $13.9 million that year. The study estimates that, had all 50 states had legal medical marijuana in 2013, the Medicare program could have saved $468 million.
W. David Bradford, PhD, Busbee Chair in Public Policy at the University of Georgia and one of the study’s authors, stated, “We wouldn’t say that saving money is the reason to adopt this [legalizing medical marijuana]. But it should be part of the discussion.” Bradford also cautions “Just because it’s [marijuana] not as dangerous as some other dangerous things, it doesn’t mean you want to necessarily promote it. There’s a lot of unanswered questions.”
Deepak D’ Souza, MBBS, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, noted that marijuana does not cause overdose deaths like opioids can but stated, “Even if Medicare may be saving money, medical marijuana doesn’t come for free. I have some trouble with the idea that this is a source of savings.”
Medical marijuana is legal in 25 states and Washington, DC and all of the major 2016 presidential candidates are in favor of legalizing the drug for medical use.
(via Medical Marijuana Saved Medicare $165 Million, Study Says - ProCon.org)
Source: procon.org
Pennsylvania Becomes 24th Legal Medical Marijuana State
Pennsylvania Becomes 24th Legal Medical Marijuana State - ProCon.org
On Apr. 17, 2016, Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed a bill legalizingmedical marijuana in Pennsylvania, making it the 24th legal medical marijuana state. The law goes into effect on May 17, 2016, but is expected to take 18 to 24 months to be fully implemented.
24 states and the District of Columbia now have legal medical marijuana, including Pennsylvania. There were approximately 1,246,170 legal medical marijuana patients in the United States as of Mar. 1, 2016.
Source: procon.org
12 States Considering Medical Marijuana Legalization
States with Legislation or Ballot Measures to Legalize Medical Marijuana in 2016
Source: medicalmarijuana.procon.org
Medical Marijuana Legalization Does Not Increase Teen Use, New Study Finds
A study published online on June 16, 2015 by Lancet Psychiatry found that state legalization of medical marijuana does not increase teen use of the drug. The rate of marijuana use amongst teens in states that have legalized marijuana for medical use was found to be higher than in states which ban the drug, however that was the case before and after the laws were changed.
The study examined data from 24 years of national surveys conducted in about 400 schools, which asked students in eighth, 10th and 12th grades whether or not they had used marijuana during the previous 30 days. After a law was passed to legalize medical marijuana, the rate of teen use amongst all age groups studied dropped from 16% to 15%, below the threshold required for statistical significance. When the results were limited to eighth graders only, the rate of use went down by a statistically significant degree after the law was passed, dropping from 8% to 6%.
When considering data collected both before and after medical marijuana laws were passed, the researchers found a higher prevalence of teen marijuana use in states that have legalized medical marijuana (16%) than in states which have not (13%).
Deborah Hasin, PhD, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University and co-author of the Lancetstudy, stated that “Our findings provide the strongest evidence to date that marijuana use by teenagers does not increase after a state legalizes medical marijuana.” Seth Ammerman, MD, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University, found the study’s results “reassuring… if a state does put in medical marijuana laws, that that’s not going to significantly affect adolescent use.” Dr. Ammerman suggested that the higher rates of teen marijuana use in legal states may be due to attitudes toward the drug being more liberal in those states.
Source: procon.org
Governor of Puerto Rico Legalizes Medical Marijuana in the US Territory
“Puerto Rico’s governor on Sunday [May 3, 2015] signed an executive order to authorize the use of medical marijuana in the U.S. territory in an unexpected move following a lengthy public debate.
Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said the island’s health secretary has three months to issue a report detailing how the executive order will be implemented, the impact it will have and what future steps could be taken. The order went into immediate effect.”
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Senate Bill Would Legalize Access to Medical Marijuana
A bipartisan bill allowing patients to use medical marijuana in states where it has been legalized was introduced in the US Senate on Mar. 10, 2015. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) announced the proposed legislation that would also move the drug from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act.The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act would prevent the federal government from enforcing drug laws that conflict with state medical marijuana programs. 23 states and DC have legalized marijuana for medical use. Under the CARERS Act, patients, providers and related businesses in those states would no longer be in violation of federal law.
Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance along with heroin, LSD, ecstasy, and other drugs considered to have “no currently accepted medical use,” “a high potential for abuse,” and “a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” By reclassifying marijuana as Schedule II, it would join drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, and other drugs that have “a high potential for abuse” but “less abuse potential than Schedule I drugs.” A press release announcing the CARERS Act stated that the shift would recognize “what Americans already know: marijuana has a legitimate medical purpose.”
The CARERS Act would also remove cannabidiol (CBD) from the Controlled Substances Act’s definition of marijuana, thus allowing states to import CBD oil. CBD is non-psychoactive and has been used to control seizures in children with intractable epilepsy.Senator Gillibrand stated in a press conference that legalizing medical marijuana would allow parents to “ease their children’s pain more effectively” than the powerful and addictive opiates currently being used.Doctors in Department of Veterans Affairs facilities would be permitted to recommend marijuana to military veterans under the bill, and it would also enable banks and credit unions to provide financial services to businesses participating in medical marijuana programs. Such businesses currently operate on a “dangerous” cash-only basis, according to Senator Gillibrand.Finally, the Act removes “unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles” that, according to the senators, have made it difficult for researchers to gain government approval to undertake research on the drug.
60 Peer-Reviewed Studies on Medical Marijuana Medical Studies Involving Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts (1990 - 2014)
Florida Medical Association Opposes Medical Marijuana Measure
The Florida Medical Association (FMA) has come out against a state constitutional amendment to legalize medical marijuana. The lobby representing 20,000 physicians in Florida now officially opposes any legalized form of medical cannabis.
On Nov. 4, 2014, Florida voters will consider the ballot initiative known as Amendment 2, which would allow the controlled use of cannabis for certain Florida patients who obtain a valid recommendation from a licensed physician and receive an identification card from the state. According to the Florida Times-Union, the proposed amendment “comes on the heels of the Legislature’s statewide legalization of ‘Charlotte’s Web,’” a strain of marijuana low in the psychoactive ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and high in the non-psychoactive ingredient cannabidiol (CBD), "that is said to treat childhood seizures without getting the patient high.“
Dr. Alan Pillersdorf, FMA President, released a statement saying: "We believe the unintended consequences of Amendment 2 are serious and numerous enough for us to believe they constitute a public health risk for Floridians. The lack of clear definitions in the amendment would allow health-care providers with absolutely no training in the ordering of controlled substances, to order medical marijuana.” The FMA has concurrently passed a resolution urging that marijuana products be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that smoking marijuana, even for medical reasons, be completely prohibited.
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