At its semiannual House of Delegates meeting on November 10, 2009, the American Medical Association (AMA) announced changes to its policy on medical marijuana. The AMA is urging the federal government to review whether marijuana should continue to be classified with other Schedule 1 controlled substances, which are considered to have a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug. Other drugs in that category include heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and phencyclidine (PCP). Less restrictive Schedule II substances include cocaine and methamphetamine. However, medical researchers say that even if marijuana were rescheduled, it would not become medically available for general prescription use unless it is reviewed and approved under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The AMA also formally adopted a policy to help facilitate scientific research and development of cannabinoid-type medicines. This would include further studies of marijuana and related compounds in patients who have serious conditions for which preclinical, clinical, and anecdotal evidence suggests possible efficacy. A spokesman for the association noted that “Despite more than 30 years of clinical research, only a small number of randomized, controlled trials have been conducted on smoked cannabis.” Research expansion has been hindered in part by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana, and the debate over legalization.
The AMA emphasized that the policy change should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a prescription drug product.
The policy also calls for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to facilitate grant applications for well-designed trials of medical marijuana. It is asking the agency to make funding available and confirm that the National Institute on Drug Abuse will supply the drug to researchers via the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The AMA is not the only physicians’ organization to reconsider its stand on medical marijuana. In 2008, the American College of Physicians issued a position statement supporting research into the therapeutic role of the drug.