AMA Agrees Marijuana May Have Analgesic Benefits

[mrcreosote]

I ran across this brief article while researching about trigeminal neuralgia, a condition I suffer that causes excruciating pain in the face and jaw.
While I applaude the AMA's call to reschedule MJ from a 1 category to facilitate research in the efficacy of cannabinoids for pain treatment, I am disappointed that they choose to keep these findings from the public (and the press). This seems to show a certain atypical cowardliness from the largest association of physicians in the US, that were they to make a public announcement of their position, it would carry much weight in the halls of Congress to change the Federal govt's ill conceived position in regards to medical marijuana.
Article below:

http://www.fpa-support.org/2011/01/ama-agrees-marijuana-may-have-analgesic-benefits/

This may be a year or so old, so if anyone knows if the AMA have made an official statement in regards to this issue please let us know.
It certainly seems that had they done so it would definitely be in the news and a recommendation from an organization that practically writes the health-care policy for this nation could not easily be pushed to the side as not relevant by those who put their names on the bills before the Legislature.

 

[SacredBreh]

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article.php?id=5838

For Immediate Release: November 10th, 2009

AMA Report Recognizes Medical Benefits of Marijuana, Urges Further Research

Largest and oldest U.S. physician-based group reverses long-held position on medical marijuana


Houston, TX -- The American Medical Association (AMA) voted today to reverse its long-held position that marijuana be retained as a Schedule I substance with no medical value. The AMA adopted a report drafted by its Council on Science and Public Health (CSAPH) entitled, "Use of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes," which affirmed the therapeutic benefits of marijuana and called for further research. The CSAPH report concluded that, "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." Furthermore, the report urges that "the Schedule I status of marijuana be reviewed with the goal of facilitating clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods."

The change of position by the largest physician-based group in the country was precipitated in part by a resolution adopted in June of 2008 by the Medical Student Section (MSS) of the AMA in support of the reclassification of marijuana's status as a Schedule I substance. In the past year, the AMA has considered three resolutions dealing with medical marijuana, which also helped to influence the report and its recommendations. The AMA vote on the report took place in Houston, Texas during the organization's annual Interim Meeting of the House of Delegates. The last AMA position, adopted 8 years ago, called for maintaining marijuana as a Schedule I substance, with no medical value.

"It's been 72 years since the AMA has officially recognized that marijuana has both already-demonstrated and future-promising medical utility," said Sunil Aggarwal, Ph.D., the medical student who spearheaded the passage of the June 2008 resolution by the MSS and was one of the CSAPH report's designated expert reviewers. "The AMA has written an extensive, well-documented, evidence-based report that they are seeking to publish in a peer-reviewed journal that will help to educate the medical community about the scientific basis of botanical cannabis-based medicines." Aggarwal is also on the Medical & Scientific Advisory Board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the largest medical marijuana advocacy organization in the U.S.

The AMA's about face on medical marijuana follows an announcement by the Obama Administration in October discouraging U.S. Attorneys from taking enforcement actions in medical marijuana states. In February 2008, a similar resolution was adopted by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the country's second largest physician group and the largest organization of doctors of internal medicine. The ACP resolution called for an evidence-based review of marijuana's status as a Schedule I controlled substance to determine whether it should be reclassified to a different schedule. "The two largest physician groups in the U.S. have established medical marijuana as a health care issue that must be addressed," said ASA Government Affairs Director Caren Woodson. "Both organizations have underscored the need for change by placing patients above politics."

Though the CSAPH report has not been officially released to the public, AMA documentation indicates that it: "(1) provides a brief historical perspective on the use of cannabis as medicine; (2) examines the current federal and
state-based legal envelope relevant to the medical use of cannabis; (3) provides a brief overview of our current understanding of the pharmacology and physiology of the endocannabinoid system; (4) reviews clinical trials on the relative safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis and botanical-based products; and (5) places this information in perspective with respect to the current drug regulatory framework."

Further information:
Report adopted by the AMA: http://AmericansForSafeAccess.org/downloads/AMA_Report.pdf
American College of Physicians resolution: http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf

 

[SpayceRayce]

The early version of the AMA was against making cannabis illegal in the first place, but Ainslinger pushed it through anyway, and they were bullied into silence. Pharma had cannabis extracts marketed since mid late 1800s. They are about to get their product back to sell, at a significant increase in profit.

 

[Ur Humbl Nr8tor]

http://www.masshightech.com/stories...Scientific-team-up-on-MS-drug-candidates.html

Yep, it won't be long now. Why keep med legal laws in place, when you can get your prescription filled without all of that lousy euphoria...

 

[Grass Lands]

only reason they wont prescribe pot...THEY DONT GET KICK BACKS FROM THE BIG PHRMA CO'S....yet that is...

 

[mrcreosote]

SacredBreh,
Thanks for posting.
I'm just curious as to whether this made mainstream news and I just missed it or even if it got covered at all outside the MMJ community.

This is big news by anyone's lights but I'll admit to a slight bias.

This pretty much puts to rest the argument against MMJ but facts are always the first casualty in the drug wars.

 

[Bi0hazard]

The main issue is corporations and big pharma cannot patent anything that grows naturally.

They have to modify it or synthesize it in some way to gain "Intellectual property rights" over it - in order to get a patent. Patents prevent any other company from producing the same product and brings all the income of its results back to one company during years the patent is active.

They cannot patent cannabis, this is why they are raiding dispensaries for grown cannabis - but not raiding Marinol factories (Synthetic THC prescription) who have a patent on their product.

The main issue is big pharma can make more off of patentable medicines, so they try to prevent non patentable (freely growing) medicines or alternative medicines from being able to be used. So that their synthetic modifications of the naturally growing plants are all that is allowed to be consumed. Even if the natural plant works better.