News (Media Awareness Project) - US: Wire: Bill Would Lift Federal Restrictions On Medical Use |
| Title: | US: Wire: Bill Would Lift Federal Restrictions On Medical Use |
| Published On: | 1999-10-08 |
| Source: | Associated Press |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-06 11:50:56 |
BILL WOULD LIFT FEDERAL RESTRICTIONS ON MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA
WASHINGTON - Congress should eliminate federal restrictions on Arizona and
otherstates that allow marijuana use for medical purposes such as for
relieving AIDS-related nausea and glaucoma, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.,
said Wednesday.
"The irony is, of course, that many drugs much more harmful, much more
powerful, much more addictive than marijuana can be prescribed," said
Frank, who introduced legislation - as he has done twice before - to end
the federal restrictions.
Frank's bill, introduced Tuesday, would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule
II drug, meaning that it could be prescribed by doctors under certain
conditions, just as cocaine and other controlled substances are.
Prescriptions for such drugs are subject to federal and state review.
Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada have permitted
medical use of the drug. While persons using marijuana for medical purposes
don't face state prosecution in the six states, they could still face
federal prosecution, said Frank.
Frank isn't hopeful that the Republican-controlled Congress will pass his
bill. Last fall, the House adopted, 310-93, a resolution that said
marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for
medical use. Supporters of that bill said to legalize the drug for medical
use send the wrong message to teen-agers, and that scientific testing has
not proved a medical use for marijuana.
But the New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of
medical marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the
National Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject.
On Wednesday, Canada's health minister authorized clinical trials to
determine if marijuana is a useful medicine for people suffering from
terminal illnesses and other painful conditions.
And a report from the International Drug Control Board concluded last month
that in-depth and impartial scientific studies should be conducted into
marijuana's possible medical benefits.
WASHINGTON - Congress should eliminate federal restrictions on Arizona and
otherstates that allow marijuana use for medical purposes such as for
relieving AIDS-related nausea and glaucoma, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.,
said Wednesday.
"The irony is, of course, that many drugs much more harmful, much more
powerful, much more addictive than marijuana can be prescribed," said
Frank, who introduced legislation - as he has done twice before - to end
the federal restrictions.
Frank's bill, introduced Tuesday, would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule
II drug, meaning that it could be prescribed by doctors under certain
conditions, just as cocaine and other controlled substances are.
Prescriptions for such drugs are subject to federal and state review.
Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada have permitted
medical use of the drug. While persons using marijuana for medical purposes
don't face state prosecution in the six states, they could still face
federal prosecution, said Frank.
Frank isn't hopeful that the Republican-controlled Congress will pass his
bill. Last fall, the House adopted, 310-93, a resolution that said
marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for
medical use. Supporters of that bill said to legalize the drug for medical
use send the wrong message to teen-agers, and that scientific testing has
not proved a medical use for marijuana.
But the New England Journal of Medicine has editorialized in favor of
medical marijuana and the American Medical Association has urged the
National Institutes of Health to support more research on the subject.
On Wednesday, Canada's health minister authorized clinical trials to
determine if marijuana is a useful medicine for people suffering from
terminal illnesses and other painful conditions.
And a report from the International Drug Control Board concluded last month
that in-depth and impartial scientific studies should be conducted into
marijuana's possible medical benefits.
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