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Subject: Institute of Medicine Report Backs High Times Bid to...
Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 13:05:53 EST
Institute of Medicine Report Backs High Times Bid to Re-Classify Marijuana
NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--MARCH 17, 1999--The Institute of Medicine Report on Marijuana and Medicine refutes the DEA's long-held claims that marijuana is a dangerous drug of abuse with no medical value-- tacitly backing a petition filed by Jon Gettman with the support of High Times magazine, which is also a petitioner in this action.
As noted in the IOM report, this petition prompted the federal government to review marijuana's scheduling status in formal and public proceedings.
The pre-publication copy of the IOM report is incorrect in attributing this petition to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. High Times has contacted the IOM for a correction in the published edition.
Among the findings of the Gettman/High Times Petition confirmed by the IOM report are the following:
* Marijuana does not have a high potential for abuse and has
accepted medical use in the United States.
* Among recreational drugs, Marijuana has a lower potential for
abuse than alcohol or tobacco.
* Pot is not addictive and does not serve as a gateway to hard drug
abuse.
* Marijuana is especially useful in alleviating a wide range of
medical conditions, especially nausea for chemotherapy patients, the wasting syndrome of AIDS patients, and muscle spasms for
people with multiple sclerosis.
Says Gettman: "The scientific record is now sufficiently complete to clarify the legal issues involved. This should force the government's hand and allow states who have passed medical marijuana initiatives to let sick Americans get the relief they need. What's more, in the aftermath of a report that shows that there is no high potential for abuse of marijuana, there is simply no scientific basis for continuing the arrests of 700,000 people a year for marijuana offenses, regardless of the reason." High Times IOM Response Page 2
Michael Kennedy, Attorney for petitioners Gettman and High Times, commented: "The Institute of Medicine is to be commended for its definitive research and courageous support for the legitimate use of marijuana. The IOM findings support the Gettman/High Times Petition to the DEA demanding the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule I drug [like heroin and cocaine] to a lower classification consistent with its therapeutic potential and relative harmlessness. "The findings of the IOM will cause the DEA to face what it has long known but consistently denied: Marijuana has medical value, it is not a 'gateway' drug leading to other drug usage, is not addictive, and is vastly less harmful than popular drugs nicotine and alcohol."
Jon Gettman is the Washington Correspondent for High Times and a former National Director of NORML.
A complete copy of the Gettman/High Times petition can be found at <http://www.norml.org/legal/petition.fulltext.html>http://www.norml.org/leg al/petition.fulltext.html
High Times magazine will publish its comprehensive report on marijuana in the US in their June issue.
John Gettman is available for interviews. Please contact Jody Miller @ JLM PR Inc. (212) 431-5227.
CONTACT:
JODY MILLER
JLM PR INC.,(212)431-5227
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