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Why care?
Let's start at the beginning and ask why you should care about the restrictions
on the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. We have a simple answer, one that
more and more people nationwide agree with: cannabis is a safe and beneficial
medication that has been used for thousands of years. In some cases it is the
most effective way to treat an illness. We believe that patients and their
physicians should have the right to choose the most effective treatments.
According to a recent Zogby poll, 80% of Americans approve of the use of medical
marijuana (Cannabis). Twelve states have already passed legislation to
legalize the use of cannabis for medical use (AZ, CA, ME, OR, WA, NM, RI, NV, CO,
AK, HI, VT), and 35 states plus the district of Colombia have passed legislation
recognizing cannabis's medicinal value.
Who are we?
Illinois Drug Education and Legislative [IDEAL] Reform is an Illinois-based
not-for profit organization working to foster public policies that address the
risks of drug misuse and to identify and oppose drug policies that negatively
impact the public health. We base our work in science, harm reduction, compassion,
and truth. We work to educate the public and healthcare professionals through the
advancement and examination of medical research. IDEAL Reform maintains a network
of scientific researchers, scholars, and legal and medical professionals who
promote and study new research at the intersection of healthcare and drug policy.
The results of this process are used to help create sound and sensible public
policies.
What are we talking about?
Our Medical Position: We believe scientific research supports
the use of cannabis for a series of medical conditions and physicians should be
allowed to prescribe cannabis to appropriate patients. Cannabis would already be
an FDA-approved prescription medicine if the federal government wasn't actively
obstructing privately-funded medical cannabis research by monopolizing the supply
of cannabis that can be used in FDA-approved research and refusing to grant a
license for a privately-funded cannabis production facility at UMASS Amherst's
department of plant and soil sciences.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, part of the Federal Justice Department, has
approved the use of Marinol as a legal means for patients to obtain the medical
benefits of cannabis. Marinol is a pill that contains Delta-9 THC, a synthetic
Cannabinoid, only one of the therapeutic elements found in the cannabis plant. For
some patients, Marinol is an effective treatment. However, for many others, Marinol
does not deliver the same therapeutic benefits found in the natural plant and is
associated with an array of negative side effects not found with cannabis. Whereas
smoked cannabis permits the patient to function in a relatively normal fashion,
Marinol can have a drastic, debilitating effect which renders its users incapacitated
for a number of hours. And, while Marinol has only been proven effective treating
the anorexia associated with digestive disorders, it does not produce the benefits
of smoked cannabis in reducing ocular pressure for patients with glaucoma, or
limiting muscle spasms in MS sufferers. Inhaled cannabinoids readily cross the
blood-brain barrier to reduce ocular pressure and alleviate many symptoms of other
diseases that digested THC (Marinol) simply does not affect. Differences in efficacy
are a function of drug delivery and absorption.
In 1978 the federal government created the Investigational New Drug (IND)
compassionate access research program to allow patients to receive cannabis from
the government to treat certain medical conditions that responded well to this
medication. The federal government halted access to this program in 1992 after it
was flooded by applications from AIDS patients were it has been found effective as
an appetite stimulant reversing the AIDS wasting syndrome. Patients were forced to
sue the federal government on the basis of "medical necessity" to obtain access to
this medicine. Today, surviving patients still receive medical cannabis from the
federal government.
Despite an enormous amount of scientific evidence, including a major report by the
Institute of Medicine, 35 state laws affirming its medical value, and a program
wherein the federal government delivers cannabis every month to seven patients in
the US, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, defined
as having a high potential for abuse and no medicinal value. In 1972, the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws submitted a petition to the Bureau of
Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (now known as the Drug Enforcement Administration) to
reschedule cannabis so that physicians could prescribe it for their patients. The
DEA ignored this request. In 1988, Francis L. Young, the DEA's own chief
administrative law judge, ruled that, "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of
the safest therapeutically active substances known . . . It would be unreasonable,
arbitrary and capricious for the DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers
and the benefits of this substance." Without justification, the DEA refused to
implement this ruling and continues to classify cannabis as a Schedule I substance.
Reform in Illinois
IDEAL Reform is a moderate, credible, and non-partisan organization advocating sound
and sensible public policy change with regard to the approach Illinois takes in
addressing drug abuse and misuse. Physicians, scientifically minded public
policy advocates and experienced drug policy experts form the IDEAL Board of Directors
and Medical Advisory Board.
The Medical Advisory Board provides input and guidance to develop a program to safely
administer cannabis for medical purposes in the State of Illinois. By working
cooperatively with the State and within the Illinois General Assembly, we help to define
patient outreach and education efforts and to serve as a voice of credibility with the
public and the media. We hope to attract physicians from each specialty in which medical
cannabis has known applications, such as Oncology, Ophthalmology, Neurology, Pain
Management and Hospice and Palliative Care, as well as experts in the fields of
substance abuse, public health, and drug education.
Our legislative position is quite clear: Illinois law has already
passed legislation to create a medical cannabis program under Section 11 of 750
ILCS 550, the Cannabis Control Act of 1971, but the General Assembly must act to
mandate the State to enforce and honor its provisions. The current Act only allows that
State to act, but does not require it to do so.
Numerous published studies demonstrate that cannabis has medical value in treating
patients with serious illnesses such as AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, multiple sclerosis,
epilepsy, and chronic pain. In 1999, Institute of Medicine's report on medical cannabis,
the most comprehensive study of medical cannabis's efficacy stated, "The accumulated
data indicate a potential therapeutic value for cannabinoid drugs, particularly for
symptoms such as pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation."
Allowing patients legal access to medical cannabis has been endorsed by numerous
organizations, including the AIDS Action Council, American Bar Association, American
Public Health Association, California Medical Association, The New England Journal of
Medicine and the American Nurses Association.
Our Legislative Strategy: IDEAL Reform is actively working to amend the
existing language of Section 11 of Illinois' Cannabis Control Act to mandate the state
implement the program (changing "may" to "shall"), something that has not happened in
the 32 years since the inception of Section 11.
To learn more about IDEAL Reform, or to become involved, please contact
George Pappas (phone: 630/ 533-1989, email: george@idealreform.org)
or visit www.idealreform.org.
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