Pubdate: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 Source: PR Newswire Copyright: 1999 PR Newswire IOM STRIKES A BLOW AT 'REEFER MADNESS' WASHINGTON, The new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report is more than just a favorable review of medical marijuana. It challenges long-standing myths about the adverse effects of marijuana, whether used as a medicine or recreationally. In fact, the IOM report comes close to saying that everything the federal government has been claiming about marijuana for the last 50 years is wrong. The IOM report indicates that: * Marijuana has insignificant addictive potential. The IOM notes that "few marijuana users develop dependence." When withdrawal symptoms appear, they are "mild and short-lived." * Marijuana is not a gateway drug Alcohol and cigarettes, not marijuana, are the first substances used by people who progress to harder drugs. There is no biochemical basis for concluding that using marijuana "primes" individuals for the use of other drugs. * Marijuana has still not been proven to cause lung cancer While acknowledging the potential pulmonary hazards associated with smoking, the IOM notes that lung cancer has never been linked specifically to marijuana use. * Short-term or occasional marijuana use has minimal risk The IOM report identifies few significant risks for non-heavy marijuana users, other than "diminished psychomotor performance." As is true with many other drugs, certain behaviors, such as driving an automobile, should be avoided after using marijuana. * Immune impairment from marijuana has not been proven Despite considerable research, marijuana has not been shown to cause immunological damage in humans. Even if immunosuppression effects exist, the IOM states, they "are not likely great enough to preclude a legitimate medical use." * Marijuana is a useful medication The IOM report found significant evidence that marijuana relieves pain, reduces nausea, and increases appetite-effects that have been especially beneficial for people with AIDS and cancer. Moreover, marijuana's sedative and anti-anxiety effects, the report notes, "might be desirable for certain patients." * Allowing marijuana's medical use will not increase recreational use Opponents of medical marijuana fear that sanctioning medical use will increase its use in the general population. The IOM report says "there are no convincing data to support this concern." "It is time now for action. Let us waste no more time in providing this medication through legal, medical channels to all the patients whose lives may be saved. We hope to meet very soon with drug czar Barry McCaffrey and other decision-makers in the federal government to make this happen for the patients we represent," said Daniel Zingale, executive director of AIDS Action, a Washington, D.C. group with member organizations across the country. "Just last month the AIDS advocacy community united in support of immediate, experimental access to medical marijuana for people with AIDS and their doctors. This new report seconds that demand powerfully. It's exactly what we've been asking for," Zingale said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek Rea