Whereas: Marijuana is a Schedule I
drug, which means that it cannot be legally used as
a medicine by patients or prescribed by physicians;
and
Whereas: Schedule I drugs must meet
all of the following criteria: 1) have no therapeutic
value, 2) are not safe for medical use, and 3) have
a high abuse potential; and
Whereas: Virginia nurses have an understanding
a) of the negative health consequences that substance
abuse and/or addiction can cause, b) that substance
abuse and addiction are not about "bad" drugs,
but rather about the unhealthy use of
drugs, and c) that persons can develop a substance abuse
or addiction problem from any psychoactive drugs, legal
or
illegal; and
Whereas: Marijuana has been found
to be effective in a) reducing intraocular pressure
in glaucoma, b) reducing nausea and vomiting associated
with chemotherapy, c) stimulating the appetite for persons
living with AIDS and suffering from
wasting syndrome, d) controlling spasticity associated
with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, and
e)
controlling seizures associated with seizure disorders;
and
Whereas: Marijuana has a wide margin
of safety for use under medical supervision and cannot
cause lethal reactions; and
Whereas: Thirty-six states, including
Virginia, have recognized marijuana's therapeutic potential
and have passed
legislation supporting its medicinal use; and
Whereas: The Drug Enforcement Agency's
(DEA) own Administrative Law Judge ruled in 1988 that
marijuana must be removed from the Schedule I category
and made available for physicians to prescribe; and
Whereas: Desperate patients and their
families have chosen to break the law in order to obtain
this medicine when conventional medicines have not been
effective or are too toxic. This places these patients
at risk for criminal charges and at
risk for obtaining contaminated medicines because of
the lack of quality control; and
Whereas: Nurses have an ethical obligation
to be advocates for health care for all individuals.
Medicines which enhance the quality of life for persons
suffering from life threatening or debilitating illness;
therefore, be it
Resolved: That the Virginia Nurses
Association support all reasonable efforts to end federal
policies which prohibit or
unnecessarily restrict marijuana's legal availability
for legitimate medical uses; and be it
Resolved: That the Virginia Nurses
Association provide education to the nurses of Virginia
on the therapeutic use of marijuana and the federal
prohibition of its use; and be it
Resolved: That the Virginia Nurses
Association ecourage other health care provider organizations
to support medical access to marijuana; and be it
Resolved: That the Virginia Nurses
Association submit a resolution to the American Nurses
Association House of Delegates in 1995 that the American
Nurses Association educate American nurses about the
therapeutic use of marijuana and the federal prohibition
of its use; and be it
Resolved: That the Virginia Nurses
Association submit a resolution to the American Nurses
Association House of Delegates in 1995 that the American
Nurses Association support a change in federal policy
to permit medical access to marijuana for therapeutic
purposes.
This resolution was passed by the Virginia Nurses Association
Delegate Assembly on October 7, 1994.
