MEDICINAL USE OF CANNABIS: PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY STATEMENT
Cannabis is chemically classified in the hallucinogen category of psychoactive substances. The regular use of cannabis products is known to cause harmful health effects, including addiction, with its associated consequences to individuals, communities and society, among those that are susceptible.
Although there is anecdotal, pre-clinical and limited controlled evidence that cannabis products may be effective in some conditions such as wasting syndromes, related to cancerand AIDS, chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, glaucoma, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neuromuscular conditions, this evidence is weak and existing studies have demonstrated significant side effects. There are alternative therapies that have less risk of side effects for these conditions. Cannabis products are not first-line treatment for any known medical condition.
Therefore, our Medicinal Use of Cannabis Products Policy Statement is:
Currently, available scientific information and clinical practice experience indicate that overall, there is more risk than benefit, in the use of cannabis products for medicinal purposes. Ongoing well-designed clinical research into the possible medicinal uses of cannabis products is essential, using the same rigorous standards that are applied to any therapeutic agent prior to its introduction into general clinical practice.
Adopted 1999 October 16