EASE UP ON MARIJUANA, DOCTORS GROUP TELLS FEDS

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A large and respected association of physicians
is calling on the federal government to ease its strict ban on
marijuana as medicine and hasten research into the drug's therapeutic
uses.

The American College of Physicians, a 124,000-member group that is the
nation's largest for doctors of internal medicine, contends that the
long and rancorous debate over marijuana legalization has obscured
good science that has demonstrated the benefits and medicinal promise
of cannabis.

In a 13-page position paper approved by the college's governing board
of regents and posted Thursday on the group's Web site, the ACP calls
on the government to drop marijuana from Schedule I, a classification
it shares with illegal drugs such as heroin and LSD that are
considered to have no medicinal value and a high likelihood of abuse.

The declaration could put new pressure on lawmakers and government
regulators, who for decades have rejected attempts to reclassify
marijuana. Bush administration officials have aggressively rebuffed
all attempts in Congress, the courts and among law enforcement
organizations to legitimize medical marijuana.

Clinical researchers say the federal government has resisted full
study of the potential medical benefits of cannabis, instead pouring
money into looking at its negative effects.

A dozen states have legalized medical marijuana, but the federal
prohibition has led to an enforcement tug-of-war.

Given the conflicts, most mainstream doctors have steered clear of
medical marijuana.

The ACP position paper calls for protection of both doctors and
patients from criminal and civil penalties in states that have adopted
medical-marijuana laws.

An FDA spokeswoman declined to comment on the ACP's position.