PLEASE look over my post below instead of skipping it!
You and your AMA, how hard did you look? cause i found....
Results. The cannabis sativa plant contains more than 60 unique structurally related chemicals
(phytocannabinoids). Thirteen states have enacted laws to remove state-level criminal penalties for possessing marijuana for qualifying patients, however the federal government refuses to recognize that the cannabis plant has an accepted medical benefit. Despite the public controversy, less than 20 small randomized controlled trials of short duration involving ~300 patients have been conducted over the last 35 years on smoked cannabis. Many others have been conducted on FDA-approved oral preparations of THC and synthetic analogues, and more recently on botanical extracts of cannabis. Federal court cases have upheld the privileges of doctor-patient discussions on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes but also preserved the right of the federal government to prosecute patients using cannabis for medicinal purposes. Efforts to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act have been unsuccessful to date. Disagreements persist about the long term consequences of marijuana use for medicinal purposes
Conclusions. Results of short term controlled trials indicate that smoked cannabis reduces neuropathic pain, improves appetite and caloric intake especially in patients with reduced muscle mass, and may relieve spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis. However, the patchwork of state-based systems that have been established for “medical marijuana” is woefully inadequate in establishing even rudimentary safeguards that normally would be applied to the appropriate clinical use of psychoactive substances. The future of cannabinoid-based medicine lies in the rapidly evolving field of botanical drug substance development, as well as the design of molecules that target various aspects of the endocannabinoid system. To the extent that rescheduling marijuana out of Schedule I will benefit this effort, such a move can be supported
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upl...eport3-i09.pdf
This one's good to
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upl...43/csaa-01.pdf
It talks about the AMA wanting more studies done on marijuana b/c they know there is medical benefits.
"What they are doing is showing respect for the rights of states to make decisions about the health and welfare of their citizens," said Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project. "Health is generally regulated on a state level, and there's a growing collection of medical literature documenting that [marijuana] is, for some people, effective and safe."
American Medical Association policy calls for further clinical research into the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana for... patients.
http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/200...3/prse1123.htm
another good read^^^
It is time to re-examine whether marijuana should be legally categorized as a schedule I drug, the AMA House of Delegates said at its Interim Meeting.
The goal of such a review is to facilitate "the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines and alternate delivery methods," says the newly adopted house policy.
The current scheduling"limits the access to cannabinols for even research -- it is very difficult," said AMA Board of Trustees member Edward L. Langston, MD, a Lafayette, Ind., family physician. "We believe there should be a scientific review of cannabinols in the treatment of pain and other issues. ... We support research on the use of cannabinols for medical use."
"Schedule I is very appropriate for heroin and other noxious substances that have no place in medicine, but cannabinoids are useful drugs," said Melvyn Sterling, MD, a palliative care doctor and California Medical Assn. delegate who spoke on his own behalf. "There is compelling research that cannabinoids are helpful in treating the spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and in persistent nausea associated with chemotherapy, and they may have other uses yet undiscovered. Why are they undiscovered? Because it's a schedule I drug."
Prevalence of Marijuana Use
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint...urcetype=HWCIT
Does Marijuana Use Cause the Use of Other Drugs? (gateway theory debunked by JAMA)
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...urcetype=HWCIT
Therapeutic Marijuana Use Supported While Thorough Proposed Study Done
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...urcetype=HWCIT
I can go on and one, the evidence is in, and JAMA knows it, MMJ is a good thing, but they have to battle with the DEA, to even do studies on it.