ACP shows support for medical marijuana

Just in case you'd forgotten, there happen to be quite a few doctors out there who support medical marijuana. Why, just take a look at this recent position paper from the American College of Physicians, for instance:

The American College of Physicians, the largest medical specialty organization and the second largest physician group in the United States, today issued a strong statement urging a fundamental rethinking of U.S. government policy on medical marijuana, stating, "ACP strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted by state laws."

ACP's position paper specifically criticized the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug, deemed by the government as not having accepted medical uses or safety for use under medical supervision. "ACP urges review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance and reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence regarding marijuana's safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions," the statement declared.

What good might come from such a statement?

"This statement by America's second largest doctors' group demolishes the myth that the medical community doesn't support medical marijuana," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C. "The ACP's statement smashes a number of other myths, including the claims that adequate substitutes are available or that marijuana is unsafe for medical use. 124,000 doctors have just said what our government refuses to hear, that it makes no medical or moral sense to arrest the sick and suffering for using medical marijuana."

And LAist notes:

While the country's most respected medical collective, the American Medical Association (AMA), continues to ask for more research, they do not support the declassification of marijuana; the ACP hopes to persuade the AMA otherwise. They also hope to put pressure on the government--particularly now, when all eyes are on the politicians who are positioned to assume the White House, and bring about change.