CMA Backs Removal Of Marijuana From Schedule I Prohibitive Status

May 28, 1998,
Sacramento, CA:

One of the country’s largest state medical associations supports rescheduling marijuana so that researchers may better study the drug’s therapeutic value.

"Due to the lack of scientific justification for Schedule I classification of marijuana and the consequent virtual standstill in research on its medical benefits, ... we support efforts to reschedule marijuana," the California Medical Association’s Board of Trustee’s announced last week. "In addition, the Board support[s] efforts to obtain federal approval for a safe, reliable source of marijuana in California for research."

The Board also voted to back "federal control over [the] distribution [of marijuana] for medical use in California through closely regulated sources."

The CMA joins the American Public Health Association, the Florida Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, the AIDS Action Council, and over 20 other prominent medical groups that presently support rescheduling marijuana.

The announcement marked a major policy shift for the CMA, which had previously taken the position that more research was needed before making marijuana legally available.

California NORML Coordinator Dale Gieringer praised the CMA’s decision. "The CMA has now come to the realization that the federal law is bankrupt," he said. "It is apparent that the CMA is concerned about the conflict between federal and state law and the lawless manner in which marijuana is distributed now."

Gieringer also said that the CMA’s position may undermine the passage of federal House Resolution 372, a "sense of the House Resolution" stating that "marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug [that] should not be legalized for medical use." The House will likely debate the issue shortly.

"I don’t know how any California Congressman could support the measure in light of this evidence," Gieringer speculated.