National News, Change in Position Of MSSNY, Upcoming CME
Medical Marijuana did not pass last year. We thank all the members of NYSAM who wrote to, called or meet with New York State Legislators to advocate our position of opposition to smoked medical marijuana. The Senate race for New York is still undecided but if Republicans take control of the state senate, passage is unlikely. Governor elect Como has also stated his opposition.
The November 22 issue of Time had the United States of Amerijuana as its cover story. This article described some of the backlash against medical marijuana in the recent elections including the failure of legalization of marijuana in California by a large margin. The article then showed that the whole medical marijuana movement is a front to change attitudes toward marijuana, and lead the way for legalization. The article pointed out that George Soros and others fund this movement, and the movement is not really about medical care. “To medicate is to smoke pot and no one in the industry calls pot pot anymore; its medicine now. Dealers are called caregivers and the people who buy their dope-medicine are patients. The euphemisms are an important element in the larger movement to bring marijuana use out from the shadows and as advocates say, so it can take it place innocently on Americans nearly infinite menu of lifestyle preferences. …As with any commodity, dope is now accorded the same awed regard in some Colorado retail establishments as fine wine, dark chocolate and artisanal cheese. Only now it takes place under cover of medical care, wellness and pain management” Andrew Ferguson/Time November 12, 2010 page 32. The article points out that in Colorado, almost all medical marijuana is for chronic pain or other nonspecific symptoms and prescribed by only 15 doctors. The article makes it clear that marijuana does impair learning and memory and is very clear in its description of what it means to be high. I (Norman Wetterau, MD) feel that in this debate, physicians sometimes forget that people smoke it to be high and to be high means to have altered senses and an altered brain, at least for a while. To say that it is safe to drive after smoking it or that it does not affect the brain is to deny its very essence, a intoxicant to produce a high.
The funding of the promarijiana movement by George Soros and the medical marijuana businesses, which are now flush with money, gives it an advantage. . Those opposed such as NYSAM have no real money and simply depend on our members speaking out. Right now medial marijuana is a very large business in California and they, along with George Soros have large amounts of money to spend promoting the health benefits of marijuana and donating money to politicians who support their position.WE are aware of what the alcohol industry does with their money and we can expect the same from the medical marijuana industry.(Last sentence is not part of the Time article)
The article did show that marijuana had some possible positive medical effects and noted that Sativex is available in other countries and GW Pharmaceuticals plans to apply to the FDA for approval.
NYSAM and ASAM remain opposed to smoked, non-FDA approved formulations of marijuana. The New York Academy of Family Physicians is totally opposed to legal medical marijuana. MSSNY had supported the bill, but our delegate to MSSNY; Jun David raised serious questions about the issue at the MSSNY House of Delegates.
MSSNY Modifies it support of smoked medical marijuana
During the summer the MSSNY addiction committee meet twice by conference call to discuss this issue and make recommendations to the MSSNY council. Several of our NYSAM members are on that committee including Sheila Blume, Jeff Selzer and Lynn Hohmann and me.The committee could not all agree with NYSAMs position but agreed that its use, if any should only be in very ill people. The wording of the recent bill said serious condition and that is very broad. It could include anxiety and stress.
The group also discussed new medications such as Sativex. How can we expect drug companies to produce standardized formulations of extracts of marijuana and submit research to the FDA for approval if people can continue to buy smoked marijuana?
Thus the group recommended a sunset clause on any medical marijuana bill. Below is what the MSSSNY Council approved. It is not our position but it is certainly much closer to our position. It would be difficult for MSSNY to approve any medical marijuana bill such as last years. We thank Jun David and others who worked hard to help modify MSSNY support for Medical Marijuana.
From MSSNY report of Council: Dec 10, 2010
While recognizing concerns about negative side effects and with the goal of avoiding problems encountered in CA, Council reaffirmed MSSNY’s previous policy on the use of smoked medical marijuana by amending the policy language. MSSNY continues to support the prescribing or certifying of smoked medical marijuana by physicians solely for patients who are suffering from pain and/or nausea and have been diagnosed as critically ill with a life-threatening disease and when all other treatments have failed. MSSNY continues to emphasize that physicians should not be held criminally or professionally liable when so used, and MSSNY continues to support clinical trials on medical use of marijuana. MSSNY recommends that marijuana not be used to treat psychiatric conditions and will work with the NYS legislature and regulators to establish time limits on certification and sunset dates on any future legislation that would approve use of marijuana.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING TALKS ON MARIJUANA
- NYSAM ANNUAL CONFERENCE: FEB 5, 2011 in New York
- Elliot Gardner Endocannabinoids
- ASAM ANNUAL MEETING April 16,2011
- Symposium Marijuana and the Public: Now Where Does ASAM Stand? Organized by Greg Bunt MD Vice President of NYSAM
