Public Policy on Medicinal Cannabis

The U.S. is currently in a cruel and confusing state of affairs when it comes to the policies related to the medical use of cannabis.  The federal government prohibits its use as medicine yet provides federally approved cannabis to a select group of patients.  The FDA says cannabis is not medicine and prohibitionists declare it stronger today (higher percentage of the psychoactive cannabinoid, THC) and therefore more dangerous, yet the FDA has approved the use of a synthetic form of THC which is almost 100% THC.  Some states have passed voter initiatives or legislation to allow the use of cannabis by patients, but the laws vary from state to state.  The Veterans Administration refuses to allow veterans the use of medicinal cannabis on VA property, but in 2009 the VA issued a statement that would allow veterans to use cannabis without penalty if they received a recommendation from a physician in a state that allowed medicinal cannabis (but even if cannabis is allowed in the state of the VA, veterans still can't have their medicine on VA property).  Confusion also exists outside the U.S., although some countries are beginning to recognize the value of cannabis as medicine.

All persons should question the prohibition of this plant.  Patients Out of Time is an educational non-profit charity and our mission is to educate healthcare professionals and the public about the therapeutic use of cannabis.  We do this by providing accredited educational programs designed for healthcare professionals, but informative for all.  We believe that once the science is examined it becomes clear that this medicine has therapeutic use.  With the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, we believe that scientists are only beginning to understand and  tap into the therapeutic potential of this very valuable plant.

State Laws

In the late 1970s and early 1980s many states passed medical marijuana laws that allowed physicians to prescribe cannabis as medicine.  They were able to access the cannabis through the NIDA funded farm at the University of Mississippi. However, once the government closed the access to this medicine in 1992, these laws lost their validity.  For example, there is still a law in Virginia that allows physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients suffering from cancer or glaucoma, but since the IND access to cannabis has been closed physicians can no longer prescribe this medicine.

In 1996 California voters passed proposition 215, which marked a new era for medical marijuana.  Under this initiative, patients could grow and use cannabis as medicine as long as they had a recommendation by a physician.  Other states began to follow the California lead by passing voter initiatives or legislation.  Patients Out of Time has created a map that identifies those states that have medical marijuana laws and those with action pending along with a directory explaining the current status of each state.  Please let us know if we miss any changes that occur over time.  We hope to see a map of green states in the near future.

Federal Rescheduling

It seems that the most appropriate policy change would be for the federal government to remove cannabis from the Schedule I category where it was wrongfully placed in 1970 with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act.  Legal attempts to correct this placement began in 1971 when the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) filed a petition to the DEA to move it to Schedule II where physicians could legally prescribe it as they do with other Schedule II medications such as morphine and methadone.  This turned into a long legal battle and the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics (ACT) joined with NORML in later years until finally in 1988 the DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young, ruled that cannabis should be rescheduled.  Unfortunately that ruling fell on deaf ears and the DEA refused to remove cannabis from Schedule I.

In 2002 Jon Gettman, PhD, drafted and submitted a third petition to reschedule cannabis on behalf of the Coalition to Reschedule Cannabis.  This petition demands that the federal government removes marijuana/cannabis from Schedule I based on the overwhelming evidence based science that demonstrates the efficacy of cannabis.  The answer to this petition is long overdue.  Learn more about it so you can ask your legislators to demand an answer.  Removing cannabis from Schedule I and placing it in a less restrictive Schedule (preferrably the lowest of the 5 due to its safety record) could help put an end to the confusion and allow this valuable medicine to be put back into the U.S. Pharmacopoeia.

Research Monopoly

For many years following the prohibition of cannabis the National Institute on Drug Abuse has put out a call for applications for the cultivation of cannabis for research purposes.  The University of Mississippi was awarded the initial authority to cultivate this plant and has maintained a monopoly ever since that time.  As research interest continues to grow at a rapid rate due to the recent discovery of the endocannabinoid system, this farm cannot keep up with the needs of researchers.  Another problem with this monopoly is the lack of diversity and quality of the plant material that is supplied.  The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has taken the lead to challenge this monopoly and Patients Out of Time applauds their efforts.

Veterans

Retired U.S. Naval Officer and Vietnam veteran, Al Byrne and his wife, Mary Lynn Mathre, a former U.S. Navy Nurse are particularly troubled by cannabis prohibition as it affects our military veterans.  Countless Vietnam veterans found relief from the destructive and persistent symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (we choose not to  use the term disorder since these symptoms are a normal response to an abnormal stress) with the use of cannabis.  The newly discovered endocannabinoid system is just beginning to help explain how and why "forgetting" can be therapeutic and necessary.  Wounded veterans suffering from chronic pain soon learn that cannabis is effective in the management of their pain.  Research indicates that cannabis may be helpful for veterans with traumatic brain injuries.

Our veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are learning about the therapeutic use of cannabis and suffer penalties if caught using it.  Our veterans risk their lives in service to their country, the very least we can do is allow them the use of this medicine.  How can we deprive a veteran the use of a plant after he/she fought to defend freedom in the U.S.?

European Models

Canadian Models