Growing Medical Marijuana Industry Sparks Debate in California
California is one of 14 states that allow people to use marijuana for medical reasons, and a thriving cannabis industry has developed in the West Coast state. Federal officials say the use and sale of marijuana is illegal, but the Obama administration recently said it will not prosecute marijuana dispensaries that follow state laws.
Marijuana clinics are spreading in California, which has some people calling for a crackdown, and others demanding that marijuana be legalized.
In Oakland, California, the state's largest marijuana dispensary, called the Harborside Health Center, serves 600 patients a day. It provides marijuana for a wide range of ailments, from cancer to difficulty sleeping. "When a patient comes to us for the first time, we first, of course, verify that they're a legal medical cannabis patient. And then we ask them to sign an agreement. And in that agreement, they elect to become a member of our collective and they authorize all of the other members of the collective to grow cannabis on their behalf," said Steve DeAngelo, the center's founder and chief executive officer.
Medical marijuana gets a boost from major doctors group
The American Medical Assn. on Tuesday urged the federal government to reconsider its classification of marijuana as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use, a significant shift that puts the prestigious group behind calls for more research.
The nation's largest physicians organization, with about 250,000 member doctors, the AMA has maintained since 1997 that marijuana should remain a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive category, which also includes heroin and LSD.
Pennsylvania Health and Human Services decides medical marijuana has merit
The phone is ringing off the hook in Rep. Frank Oliver's office. That is because he has decided that PA HB1393 "is worthy of discussion."
Patients and doctors have been frustrated by the failure of Pennsylvania to legalize medical marijuana. Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana and other organizations had hoped that hearings would be held in September. But the Pennsylvania state budget crisis took priority.
AMA endorses medical marijuana research
At its 2009 interim meeting, the American Medical Association has adopted a statement urging that marijuana be considered as medicine and that further research be conducted into its medical value. The statement was recommended by the AMA's Council on Science and Public Health, based on a report which endorses the medicinal value of marijuana, but bemoans the combination of federal prohibition and a "patchwork of state-based systems" that have impeded scientific research.
