The need for safe and legal access in Georgia

www.gacareproject.com

THERAPEUTIC USE OF MARIJUANA“Marijuana has been reported to be effective in: a) reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma;

b) reducing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy;

c) stimulating the appetite for patients living with AIDS ...;

d) controlling spasticity associated with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis;

e) decreasing the suffering from chronic pain

f) controlling seizures.

… [It] seems to work differently than many conventional medications for the above problems, making it a possible option for persons resistant to the Conventional medications.”

— American Public Health Association, concluding “greater harm is caused by the legal consequences of [medical marijuana’s] prohibition than possible risks of medicinal use”

IS MARIJUANA SAFE AS A MEDICINE?In 1988, after review of the evidence, a Drug Enforcement Administration Law Judge, Francis Young concluded:

“In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.”

Source: US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency, “In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition,” [Docket #86-22], (September 6, 1988), p. 57.

Georgia C.A.R.E.— Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education is a project of Georgia Taxpayers Alliance, Inc.

OUR PROJECTS INCLUDE:

Lobbying state and local offi cials for law reform

Develop public policy options

Host educational events for the media

Website Content & Social Media

Participate in public forums, radio & TV programs

Network with reform organizations

Advocate for civil and human rights

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Please consider giving a donation to help advance our efforts

Volunteer you time, talents and skills

Spread the word

Host a meeting in your town

Call your elected offi cials

MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Georgia Campaign for Access, Reform & Education — GA C.A.R.E. Project

gacareproject @gacareproject

info@gacareproject.com | 404.271.9061

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WHAT IS MEDICAL MARIJUANA?Many patients suffering with HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, cancer and chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and other debilitating illnesses fi nd that marijuana provides relief from their symptoms.

MARIJUANA’S MEDICAL APPLICATIONS INCLUDE:

Relief from nausea and appetite loss

Reduction of intraocular pressure

Reduction of muscle spasms

Relief from chronic pain

Physicians often fi nd that marijuana is able to provide relief for symptoms and illnesses when prescription medicines fail to do so. Yet, other than for four people with special permission from the federal government, medical marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO PATIENTS WHO FIND MEDICAL MARIJUANA HELPFUL?Patients for whom other treatments have proven unsafe or ineffective have three options:

1. Continue to suffer without effective treatment

2. Illegally obtain marijuana and risk suffering consequences related to its prohibition, such as impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana, and/or arrests, jail, fi nes, court costs, property forfeiture, probation, and criminal records

3. Become a resident of one of the 20 states (or the District of Columbia) that protect medical marijuana

WHERE IS PUBLIC OPINION ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA?Twenty states – Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia have enacted laws allowing seriously ill patients to use marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. Patients in these states are protected from state-level arrest and prosecution. A January 2010 nationwide ABCNews Washington Post poll found that 81% of Americans think that doctors should “be allowed to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes to treat their patients.”

WHERE DO DOCTORS STAND?After analyzing all existing data on marijuana’s therapeutic uses, the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine concluded in a 1999 report funded by the White House drug policy offi ce that “there are some limited circumstances in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses.”

A 2005 national survey of physicians found that 73% approve of marijuana use to alleviate symptoms such as chronic fatigue, nausea, and pain commonly associated with AIDS, cancer and glaucoma; 75% believe that the federal government should not be able to prosecute people who use, grow, or obtain marijuana prescribed by a doctor for chronic fatigue and pain; and 76% approve of state laws allowing the use of marijuana to alleviate chronic fatigue and pain. The American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, American Nurses Association, American Academy of HIV Medicine, Lymphoma Foundation of America, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and many other medical institutions support safe and legal access to medical marijuana for patients.

Several recent studies....show that THC, the chemical

in marijuana responsible for the high, can help

slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. Other

studies have shown THC to be a very effective

antinausea treatment for people -cancer patients

undergoing chemotherapy, for example- for whom

conventional medications aren’t working. And

medical cannabis has shown promise relieving pain

in patients with multiple sclerosis and reducing

intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients...

Cannabis is remarkably safe. Although not harmless,

it is surely less toxic than most of the conventional

medicines it could replace if it were legally available.

Despite its use by millions of people over thousands

of years, cannabis has never cause an overdose death.

— DR. SANJAY GUPTA MD — Professor of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine & CNN Medical Correspondent

— LESTER GRINSPOON, MD— Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

www.gacareproject .comG E O R G I A C A M P A I G N F O R A C C E S S , R E F O R M & E D U C A T I O N

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