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[Sea Mac]

Repost: Calfornia AMA supports medical marijuana.

Links of Interest: http://www.cmanet.org/news/detail/?article=cma-issues-recommendations-for-physicians-on
http://www.cmanet.org/resource-library/detail?item=guidelines-of-the-council-on-scientific

The California Medical Association's Council on Scientific and Clinical Affairs has issued recommendations on the medicinal use of cannabis to help ensure that the substance is being used for appropriate purposes. The council hopes that these guidelines, "Guidelines of the Council on Scientific Affairs: Physician Recommendation of Medical Cannabis," will help to clarify many myths and misconceptions about the use of cannabis for medical purposes.
Based on a review of available research, it is the opinion of the CMA Council on Scientific and Clinical Affairs that medical cannabis may be effective for treatment of nausea, anorexia, pain and other conditions (i.e., spasticity), but that more clinical research is needed regarding specific indications, dosing, and the management of side effects.
Although California voters legalized the medicinal use of cannabis in 1996, the council believes that legislative decision-making is a poor alternative to scientific analysis in deciding whether or not cannabis is an appropriate pharmaceutical agent and that additional  scientific and clinical research is needed to evaluate cannabinoids as medical agents. The council also recommends that regulation of dispensaries and physicians who recommend medical cannabis remain a long-term goal to prevent the improper use of cannabis. Additionally, the council believes that health care providers who recommend cannabis should be subject to regulatory oversight to optimize patient safety and well-being and, potentially, to prevent diversion of medical cannabis to recreational users.
CMA believes that these guidelines will be a valuable and succinct resource for practicing physicians who wish to respond appropriately to patients who request recommendations for medical cannabis treatment. The guidelines are available in CMA's online resource library.
Contact: Yvonne Choong, (916) 551-2884 or ychoong@cmanet.org.
 

Thanks Elyusium!

[Sea Mac]

LOL!  He gained some measure of satisfaction that congress had a 4 percent greater approval than F. Castro! (congress at 9% and Castro at 5% with - like - a 10% margin of error).

In my Book they Tie with Castro!  [Genius +] for a good laugh!

[Divinorum Devotee]

seems to me the more they bully and impose their will upon the common folks the more despised they become.

I saw a report on TV that stated that congress persons were less well liked than "Insurance Salesmen" and "Telemarketers", and couldn't help but BRAY with Laughter - I was Surprised (shouldn't have been)!

retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/congress-approval-rating-porn-polygamy_n_1098497.html on jan 14 2012

Congress Approval Rating Lower Than Porn, Polygamy, BP Oil Spill, 'U.S. Going Communist' (VIDEO)      The Huffington Post   Alana Horowitz    First Posted: 11/16/11 08:09 PM ET Updated: 11/17/11 07:13 PM ET

A greater percentage of Americans approve of polygamy than the United States Congress, according a set of polls.

Last month, a New York Times poll found that Congress' approval rating fell to an all-time low of 9 percent. Meanwhile, a recent Gallup poll found that 11 percent of people found polygamy "morally acceptable." Additionally, 30 percent of Americans expressed approval of pornography.

The Fix posted a telling chart created by Senator Michael Bennet that compared Congress' approval rating to a slew of unpopular people, things and ideas. "U.S. going communist" received an 11 percent approval rating, banks netted 23 percent and the BP oil spill received a shocking 16 percent.

A recent CNN poll showed that 52 percent of Americans surveyed approved of the individual mandate element of last year's health care reform, an issue that half of Congress railed against.

It's also worth noting that, during the Watergate scandal, Nixon's approval rating was at 23 percent.

Watch Senator Bennet discuss Congress' abysmal approval rating below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awXdkKgF3Qw

[Sea Mac]

"believe(s) the drug's criminalization has "proven to be a failed public health policy.” (We) would like to see marijuana regulated in a manner similar to tobacco and alcohol, and no longer classified as a Schedule I substance.

The "War on Drugs" is the war of the rich and powerful leaders on the American people.

How convenient to have a scapegoat that they can use to make anyone they do not like just disappear. Beat em up, then plant a bag of "Evidence" on them and say "lookie here what this boy's carryin' on him: NARCOTICS. You goin' away for 20 years you Narcotics Trafficker!"

And the crooked judge says "guilty" and the gang members in the hole finish the job of making you disappear.  Look at the racial demographics of all the "Dangerous Drug Dealers" in prison in America if you don't believe me. Or listen to "Livin just enough {for the city}" by Stevie Wonder ....

[elyusium]

I posted this hastily without a through read and would just like to say that it's great that the Cal. AMA has officially supported the plant as medicine. However, the DR Donald Layman quoted in this news brief sounds like an idiot and a very poor spokes person for this issue.       

DRUGS     Raw Story / By Eric W. Dolan    7 COMMENTS    Fighting Back: California Doctors Officially Support Medical Marijuana   After U.S. prosecutors threatened to seize properties of licensed dispensaries, the California Medical Association adopted a resolution to support medical marijuana.         October 16, 2011  |       The California Medical Association, the state’s largest doctor group,  on Friday adopted a resolution to support the legalization of marijuana  for medical uses, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The group’s support of medical marijuana comes after U.S. prosecutors in California threatened to seize the properties of licensed California marijuana dispensaries if they don’t close up shop within 45 days. U.S. attorneys in California  have also threatened to target newspapers, radio stations and other media outlets that advertise for dispensaries.
The California Medical Association said the discrepancy between state  and federal law created an untenable situation for physicians. The use  of marijuana for medical purposes is legal under California law, but the drug is still classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law, a classification reserved for dangerous drugs with no real medicinal value.
Raw Story
“It’s an uncomfortable position for doctors,” said Dr. Donald Lyman,  the physician who wrote the new policy. “It is an open question whether cannabis is useful or not. That question can only be answered once it is legalized and more research is done. Then, and only then, can we know what it is useful for.”
In August, the California Medical Association issued recommendations for physicians on medical marijuana, saying that the drug “may be effective for treatment of nausea, anorexia, pain and other conditions (i.e., spasticity), but that more clinical research is needed regarding specific indications, dosing, and the management of side effects.”
The group is skeptical of marijuana’s medical value, but believes the drug’s criminalization has “proven to be a failed public health policy.” They would like to see marijuana regulated in a manner similar to tobacco and alcohol, and no longer classified as a Schedule I substance.
But the Drug Enforcement Administration denied a nine-year-old  petition to initiate proceedings to reschedule marijuana in late June,  claiming that, “marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no  accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level  of safety for use even under medical supervision.” The medical  marijuana advocacy groups Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the  Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis (CRC) have filed a lawsuit against  federal agency over the issue.
The use of medical marijuana has been legalized in 16 states and the  District of Columbia. But, according to the DEA, marijuana cannot be  considered to have medicinal value because there is a lack of scientific  studies assessing its safety and efficacy as a medicine.
The American Medical Association, the largest physician’s  organization in the U.S., adopted a resolution in 2009 calling on the  DEA to reclassify marijuana to facilitate research on marijuana-based  medicines.
“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,” the AMA’s resolution (PDF) reads.
Eric W. Dolan has served as an editor for Raw Story since August 2010, and is based out of San Diego, California. Eric is also the publisher and editor of PsyPost. You can follow him on