American Psychiatric Association Assembly Unanimously Backs Medical Marijuana

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Far from being a fringe group, the American Psychiatric Association Assembly is an extremely well respected medical organization in the United States. They have issued a very strong and direct statement which their members support unanimously that urges legal protection for patients who have a doctor's prescription for marijuana.

The American Psychiatric Association is the main organization for professional psychiatrists in America. It has 40,000 members and 16 allied organizations, including the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Association for Social Psychiatry, American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and the American Association of Emergency Psychiatrists.

As Salem-News.com reports, Bruce Mirken from the marijuana Policy Project said, "This move debunks a lot of the nonsense from some of the anti-medical marijuana groups. They have been aggressively using false information tactics. These groups allege that there are various links between mental illness and marijuana, ignoring the fact that it is well documented that medical marijuana can be therapeutic."

The paper from the APA Assembly must be approved by their trustees when they meet in December. It refers to 12 states that already have medical marijuana laws, and says, "The threat of arrest by federal agents, however, still exists. Seriously ill patients living in these states with medical marijuana recommendations from their doctors should not be subjected to the threat of punitive federal prosecution for merely attempting to alleviate the chronic pain, side effects, or symptoms associated with their conditions or resulting from their overall treatment regimens. ... [We] support protection for patients and physicians participating in state approved medical marijuana programs."

There have been many incidents of police arresting those with prescriptions for medical marijuana, as it is still illegal under federal law. This paper was released in hopes that this would no longer happen.

As an 83 year old lady (whose name escapes me presently) once said, "What the hell is wrong with being euphoric if you're dying of cancer?" Good question!