AMA reconsiders cannabis

The American Medical Association is reconsidering how cannabis should be scheduled (hat tip: Rhayader). Obviously the AMA carries a lot of weight so this is big news. You can view their committee minutes here (the cannabis recommendations begin on page 12). Americans for Safe Access has also issued a press release about this. Here's an excerpt:

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 the AMA 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."

On another topic entirely: I have an opinion piece in the November edition of Blue Line (Canada's national law enforcement magazine). It includes the URL of this blog in the author byline, so there might be some more officers reading this blog over the next few weeks. The article is titled "Save our police budgets: Legalize and tax marijuana." It's not online yet but I will try to get a PDF copy at some point.