The A.M.A. Marijuana Warning
August 30, 2009 
1 Comment
This is an excerpt from a 1968 TIME Magazine article — entitled “The A.M.A.: Marijuana Warning” — concerning the sparse evidence utilized by the American Medical Association in its determination that marijuana is a dangerous substance. Regardless of the association’s cannabis condemnation, the medical groups didn’t agree with the strict proposed penalties for use of the drug. I wonder what they think of today’s ongoing drug war and if they’d agree with their prior prognosis were we to get those old fucks back on a panel.
The notion that marijuana is safer for the user than alcohol, or at least no worse, has become one of the soothing and glibly repeated cliches of the day. Increasing numbers of medical men agree with it, among them James L. Goddard, who recently resigned as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Alarmed by widespread and often unverified acceptance of the idea, the A.M.A. and the National Research Council last week took a joint potshot at the drug in what the A.M.A. called a “major position paper” (translation: a report that falls just short of being official A.M.A. policy).
Medical research into the effects of marijuana is still in its infancy—so much so that last week’s condemnation had to be based on the same sparse evidence that others have used to support the use, and legalization, of the drug. The major difference, therefore, was one of perspective and emphasis.
Follow the link for the remainder of the article which includes the A.M.A.’s official stance on the subject: The A.M.A.: Marijuana Warning
Similar Posts:
- 33 U.S. Clinical Studies Show Marijuana’s Medical Use
- Barry Cooper (NeverGetBusted) Does an AMA on Reddit
- Marijuana Advocate Irv Rosenfeld: Preaching to the Choir
- Mexican Amsterdam Sounds Like Paradise to Me
- Open Letter to the President: Legalization of Marijuana
I imagine the AMA is quick to condemn marijuana, as it occupies the same mental genre as tobacco, and it isn’t backed by a bustling industry that has loads to gain from weed via patents. The low therapeutic dose, general lack of side effects (especially if you vape), and the multiplicity of treatments make it far more valuable than most of the pharmaceutical drugs on the market today.