Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Purposes
Submitted by: Council of District Residents, Ethics Committee,
and Committee on Preserving the Rights of HIV Infected Persons
Whereas Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, which means that it cannot
be legally used as a medicine by patients or prescribed by
physicians; and
Whereas Schedule I drugs must meet all of the following criteria: 1)
have no therapeutic value, 2) are not safe for medical use,
and 3) have a high abuse potential; and
Whereas Virginia nurses have an understanding a) of the negative
health consequences that substance abuse and/or addiction
can cause, b) that substance abuse and addiction are not
about "bad" drugs, but rather about the unhealthy use of
drugs, and c) that persons can develop a substance abuse or
addiction problem from any psychoactive drugs, legal or
illegal; and
Whereas Marijuana has been found to be effective in a) reducing
intraocular pressure in glaucoma, b) reducing nausea and
vomiting associated with chemotherapy, c) stimulating the
appetite for persons living with AIDS and suffering from
wasting syndrome, d) controlling spasticity associated with
spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, and e)
controlling seizures associated with seizure disorders; and
Whereas Marijuana has a wide margin of safety for use under medical
supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions; and
Whereas Thirty-six states, including Virginia, have recognized
marijuana's therapeutic potential and have passed
legislation supporting its medicinal use; and
Whereas The Drug Enforcement Agency's (DEA) own Administrative Law
Judge ruled in 1988 that marijuana must be removed from the
Schedule I category and made available for physicians to
prescribe; and
Whereas Desperate patients and their families have chosen to break
the law in order to obtain this medicine when conventional
medicines have not been effective or are too toxic. This
places these patients at risk for criminal charges and at
risk for obtaining contaminated medicines because of the lack
of quality control; and
Whereas Nurses have an ethical obligation to be advocates for health
care for all individuals. Medicines which enhance the
quality of life for persons suffering from life threatening
or debilitating illness; therefore, be it
Resolved That the Virginia Nurses Association support all reasonable
efforts to end federal policies which prohibit or
unnecessarily restrict marijuana's legal availability for
legitimate medical uses; and be it
Resolved That the Virginia Nurses Association provide education to the
nurses of Virginia on the therapeutic use of marijuana and
the federal prohibition of its use; and be it
Resolved That the Virginia Nurses Association ecourage other health
care provider organizations to support medical access to
marijuana; and be it
Resolved That the Virginia Nurses Association submit a resolution to
the American Nurses Association House of Delegates in 1995
that the American Nurses Association educate American nurses
about the therapeutic use of marijuana and the federal
prohibition of its use; and be it
Resolved That the Virginia Nurses Association submit a resolution to
the American Nurses Association House of Delegates in 1995
that the American Nurses Association support a change in
federal policy to permit medical access to marijuana for
therapeutic purposes.