IOM STRIKES A BLOW AT 'REEFER MADNESS'

WASHINGTON, The new Institute of Medicine
(IOM) report is more than just a favorable review of medical
marijuana. It challenges long-standing myths about the adverse
effects of marijuana, whether used as a medicine or recreationally. In
fact, the IOM report comes close to saying that everything the federal
government has been claiming about marijuana for the last 50 years is
wrong.

The IOM report indicates that:

* Marijuana has insignificant addictive potential.

The IOM notes that "few marijuana users develop dependence."
When withdrawal symptoms appear, they are "mild and short-lived."

* Marijuana is not a gateway drug Alcohol and cigarettes, not
marijuana, are the first substances used by people who progress to
harder drugs. There is no biochemical basis for concluding that using
marijuana "primes" individuals for the use of other drugs.

* Marijuana has still not been proven to cause lung cancer While
acknowledging the potential pulmonary hazards associated with smoking,
the IOM notes that lung cancer has never been linked specifically to
marijuana use.

* Short-term or occasional marijuana use has minimal risk The IOM
report identifies few significant risks for non-heavy marijuana users,
other than "diminished psychomotor performance." As is true with many
other drugs, certain behaviors, such as driving an automobile, should
be avoided after using marijuana.

* Immune impairment from marijuana has not been proven Despite
considerable research, marijuana has not been shown to cause
immunological damage in humans. Even if immunosuppression effects
exist, the IOM states, they "are not likely great enough to preclude a
legitimate medical use."

* Marijuana is a useful medication The IOM report found significant
evidence that marijuana relieves pain, reduces nausea, and increases
appetite-effects that have been especially beneficial for people with
AIDS and cancer. Moreover, marijuana's sedative and anti-anxiety
effects, the report notes, "might be desirable for certain patients."

* Allowing marijuana's medical use will not increase recreational use
Opponents of medical marijuana fear that sanctioning medical use will
increase its use in the general population. The IOM report says "there
are no convincing data to support this concern."

"It is time now for action. Let us waste no more time in
providing

this medication through legal, medical channels to all the patients
whose lives may be saved. We hope to meet very soon with drug czar
Barry McCaffrey and other decision-makers in the federal government
to make this happen for the patients we represent," said Daniel
Zingale, executive director of AIDS Action, a Washington, D.C. group
with member organizations across the country.

"Just last month the AIDS advocacy community united in support of
immediate, experimental access to medical marijuana for people with
AIDS and their doctors. This new report seconds that demand
powerfully. It's exactly what we've been asking for," Zingale said.