Today, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) was elected to succeed Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Committee serves as the principal guide for the House of Representatives in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public’s health and marketplace interests. This is a milestone for medical cannabis advocates precisely because of the Committee has jurisdiction over health issues.

ASA has worked with Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) over the years. Chairman-elect Waxman supports medical cannabis and is genuinely interested in working to change federal law policy to meet the immediate needs of individuals authorized to use cannabis for therapeutic purposes, the people who provide them with care, and scientific research. Below is the letter ASA sent to Chairman Waxman’s office today:

On behalf of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and our members in California, I wanted to be among the first (and many) to extend my sincere congratulations to Chairman Waxman and his distinguished staff on his election by the Democratic Caucus to become the next Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. ASA welcomes the selection of Chairman-elect Waxman; I look forward to a follow-up meeting to discuss and review our policy priorities for the 111th Congress.

As we have discussed previously, the past three decades has yielded an explosion of international research to investigate the therapeutic value of cannabis (marijuana). In the United States, research is stalled, and in some cases blocked, by a complicated federal approval process and restricted access to research-grade cannabis. Meanwhile, research teams in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Israel, and elsewhere have confirmed – through case studies, basic research, pre-clinical, and clinical investigations – the medical value of cannabis.

A scientific consensus now supports the therapeutic use of cannabis to control symptoms of serious and chronic illness. In the past decade, clinical research has clearly demonstrated that the use of cannabis, and its constituents, can safely and effectively treat symptoms of serious and chronic illness like nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, pain and spasticity. Indeed, a growing body of literature suggests that cannabis may hold the key to unlocking an array of treatments for HIV/AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and even cancer.

Yesterday, at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C., researchers from Ohio State University presented research findings which suggest that the more research they do, the more evidence scientists find that specific elements of cannabis can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells. When asked about whether the research indicated that smoking cannabis could prevent Alzheimer’s disease, one of the principle investigators replied, “We’re not saying that, but it might actually work. What we are saying is it appears that a safe, legal substance that mimics those important properties of marijuana can work on receptors in the brain to prevent memory impairments in aging. So that’s really hopeful.” For more on this research, see http://www.physorg.com/news146320102.html.

Presently, thirteen states — beginning with California and including the recent addition of Michigan — have passed laws which permit individuals living with a serious or chronic illness to use and obtain cannabis from authorized caregivers as recommended by a licensed physician without legal sanction. However, these state laws differ from the federal law and leave patients and their providers vulnerable to federal raids, arrest, and prosecution.

The time for change is now; Congressional leadership requires a focus on harmonizing the conflict between federal and state law and support for a comprehensive plan to ensure safe access for individuals who use cannabis to control symptoms of HIV/AIDS, cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, and other serious or chronic diseases. The science and policy regarding the medical use of cannabis should not be obscured or hindered by the debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana for general use. Scientific consensus coupled with state leadership has provided a solid foundation for federal policymakers to create a comprehensive plan to support long-term solutions for safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.

Chairman Waxman’s previous and ongoing support for medical cannabis underscores his willingness to seek out comprehensive solutions that will protect the rights of individuals qualified to use medical cannabis and advance safe access. We look forward to working with the Chairman-elect throughout the 111th Congress to support long-term solutions for safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and programs that advance scientific research.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 20th, 2008 at 2:49 pm and is filed under Americans for Safe Access (ASA), California, Congress, Federal, Medical Cannabis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.