How The IOM Report Impacts The
Move To Have Medical Marijuana Rescheduled
(Marijuananews note: I should have posted this
sooner, but it is increasingly relevant.)
See
Jon Gettman Expands
Online Availability of Marijuana, Science, and Public Policy;
A Major Resource On Marijuana Policy
and links
March 17, 1999
Company Press Release
Institute of Medicine Report Backs High Times Bid to Re-Classify Marijuana
NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)—
MARCH 17, 1999
The Institute of Medicine Report on Marijuana and Medicine
refutes the DEA's long-held claims that marijuana is a dangerous drug of abuse with no
medical value-- tacitly backing a petition filed by Jon Gettman with the support of High
Times magazine, which is also a petitioner in this action.
As noted in the IOM report, this petition prompted the federal government to review
marijuana's scheduling status in formal and public proceedings.
The pre-publication copy of the IOM report is incorrect in attributing this petition to
the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. High Times has contacted the
IOM for a correction in the published edition.
Among the findings of the Gettman/High Times Petition confirmed by the IOM report are
the following:
* Marijuana does not have a high potential for abuse and has
accepted medical use in the United States.
* Among recreational drugs, marijuana has a lower potential for abuse than alcohol or
tobacco.
* Pot is not addictive and does not serve as a gateway to hard drug abuse.
* Marijuana is especially useful in alleviating a wide range of medical conditions,
especially nausea for chemotherapy patients, the wasting syndrome of AIDS patients, and
muscle spasms for people with multiple sclerosis.
Says Gettman: ``The scientific record is now sufficiently complete to clarify the legal
issues involved. This should force the government's hand and allow states who have passed
medical marijuana initiatives to let sick Americans get the relief they need. What's more,
in the aftermath of a report that shows that there is no high potential for abuse of
marijuana, there is simply no scientific basis for continuing the arrests of 700,000
people a year for marijuana offenses, regardless of the reason.''
Michael Kennedy, Attorney for petitioners Gettman and High Times, commented: ``The
Institute of Medicine is to be commended for its definitive research and courageous
support for the legitimate use of marijuana. The IOM findings support the Gettman/High
Times Petition to the DEA demanding the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule I
drug [like heroin] to a lower classification consistent with its therapeutic potential and
relative harmlessness.
''The findings of the IOM will cause the DEA to face what it has long known but
consistently denied: Marijuana has medical value, it is not a 'gateway' drug leading to
other drug usage, is not addictive, and is vastly less harmful than popular drugs nicotine
and alcohol.``
Jon Gettman is the Washington Correspondent for High Times and a former National
Director of NORML.
A complete copy of the Gettman/High Times petition can be found at http://www.norml.org/leg"http://www.norml.org/legal/petition.fulltext.html
High Times magazine will publish its comprehensive report on marijuana in the US in
their June issue.
John Gettman is available for interviews.
Please contact Jody Miller @ JLM PR Inc. (212) 431-5227.
Contact:
JODY MILLER
JLM PR INC.,(212)431-5227
jlm_inc@pipeline.com
Supported