I am a disabled United States Air Force veteran who is one of the plaintiffs suing over the placement of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act, in the ASA v DEA case which will be heard by the United States Court of Appeal for the DC Circuit on October 16th. In order to understand why I would be willing to put my name on the line in this lawsuit over the schedule number of cannabis it is first important to review a little bit of history.
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The Montana Supreme Court issued a ruling last week in the Montana Cannabis Industry Association‘s lawsuit against the State of Montana. The Supreme Court reversed a lower court’s injunction against provisions of the state’s medical marijuana law, known as SB423, and ordered it to reconsider its decision using a different standard of review than previously applied. It is not clear based on the language in the Supreme Court’s decision whether or not the injunction is currently in effect, leaving hundreds of medical marijuana providers to wonder if they are currently in compliance with state law.
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David Sack in his recent HuffPo post entitled “Marijuana: The New Snake Oil” challenges the status of medical marijuana, an increasingly popular alternative treatment, as “good medicine.” This question is particularly relevant because the Washington DC federal Court of Appeals will soon hear a lawsuit disputing the status of marijuana in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, brought by Americans for Safe Access, a national member-based organizaton advocating for medical cannabis access and research. I am a doctor and a board member of the ASA Foundation, and I’m proud to present a medical professionals’ perspectives to the cause.
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Is Paul Ryan’s statement similar to Obama’s position on medical marijuana? Is there evidence that marijuana has accepted medical uses? Are there really more dispensaries than Starbucks in LA? Recent news about medical marijuana:

• Paul Ryan’s position on medical pot: “up to Coloradans,” and “not a high priority” for a Romney/Ryan Administration. Associated Press in the San Jose Mercury News
• What if Obama called a real marijuana user instead of actors? Huffington Post
• From dispensary operator to illicit dealer. Is medical marijuana being driven underground? LA Times
• Study shows marijuana use among teens in Colorado, a medical cannabis states, dropped even as it increased nationwide. Huffington Post
• Far fewer dispensaries in Los Angeles than ban proponents claimed, UCLA study finds. UCLA Newsroom
• Author Martin Lee presents slideshow of seminal moments in the post-ban history of cannabis – Huff Post Books
• Summary of research in the Daily Beast finds strong evidence of cancer-fighting effects of cannabis. Daily Beast
• Prescribing medical professionals launch sign-on letter disputing Federal position that cannabis has no medical value, in advance of the October 16th hearing. ASA
• Southern California’s only Sheriff-permitted dispensary closed by US Attorney Laura Duffy. San Diego ASA
• Senior learns to bust the myths around medical cannabis. HuffPost Post 50

After a full decade of waiting, medical cannabis patients will finally have their day in federal court on October 16, 2012 when the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed to hear oral arguments in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration. The hearing will be a historic day in the medical cannabis movement and ASA’s staff have been fielding a great many inquiries from our members about how they can get a “front row seat” to history. Well, not everyone will be so lucky as to sit in the front row seat in the courtroom, but many of our members will be able to watch the hearing live. Below are details on how you can join ASA in the courtroom that day, but first, some brief background on the case. (more…)

After this blog was posted, prescribing medical professionals have signed a letter acknowledging that cannabis has medical use and should be rescheduled.

Most would agree with the premise that medical decisions regarding the appropriateness of a treatments are best left to doctors and other medicine prescribers in conjunction with patients. When it comes to herbal marijuana or cannabis, Congress and federal regulatory authorities have taken it upon themselves to judge across the board whether this substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, taking little or no input from clinicians who are responsible for actually providing treatments in this country.

Responding to the fact that nothing has been done to organize individual medical professionals to clearly state with one voice to the federal regulatory authorities that there are indeed currently accepted medical uses for cannabis (aka herbal marijuana) in the United States today, the medical prescribers on the board of ASA have started a sign-on letter to give the opportunity for their colleagues to stand and be counted. On Friday August 31st, in collaboration with fellow ASA board and staff, an open national-sign on letter was launched. This sign-on letter is in advance of the federal DC Circuit Court of Appeals hearing on October 16 when judges will consider questions regarding the appropriate classification of marijuana or cannabis in the drug scheduling framework.
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Starting today, television stations in West Palm Beach Fl and Eugene Oregon will begin airing an “edu-mercial” about medical cannabis called, Should Grandma Smoke Pot? The show is the brain child of Robert Platshorn, the man who served the longest prison sentence in America for smuggling marijuana. After the government forced him to halt his live pro-legalization “Silver Tour,” Grandma is his new effort to educate seniors on the benefits of medical marijuana.

With award-winning director Walter J Collins, Robert has produced a thirty minute show that pulls no punches in taking on what he calls “the government’s wasteful and irrational ban on marijuana.” The show will air more than a dozen times over three weeks in West Palm Beach on WTIX the CW and WCTN My TV. In Oregon, it will air more than a dozen times on KEVU-TV.
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