What You Need to Know about Medical Marijuana

• Kansans Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana

  A 2006 poll conducted by Jayhawk Consulting Services found that 62% of Kansans are not opposed to a change in Kansas law to allow people with serious and terminal illnesses to obtain and use a limited amount of marijuana if recommended by a physician.

• Kansans Need this Medicine

  There were over 13,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Kansas in 2004 alone. There are 1,800 patients with HIV/AIDS and over 21,000 Kansans living with Glaucoma.

  Not all of these patients will need this to use this medicine, but for those who do, doctors should be able to recommend it as an option.

  Some of these patients are in their final stages of their lives. Can you think of one person who wouldn’t want to make this time as comfortable as possible for someone in their own family. How can anyone stand in the way of a request to ease the suffering of a loved one?

  We need to send a message to our children that we care about their family, their parents and grandparents. They understand the difference between a substance that is sold on the street and a substance that is prescribed for pain. They will understand this medicine.

• Doctors are Recommending Medical Marijuana to Patients

  According to the New England Journal of Medicine in the states where medical marijuana is legal, well over 115,000 people use it to treat symptoms of cancer and cancer chemotherapy, AIDS-wasting syndrome, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other debilitating disease-related problems.

  Organizations such as the American Academy of Family Physicians, who oppose the use of marijuana, do acknowledge it has medical value when used under proper medical supervision and control for specific medical indications.

  Learn about the all the medical associations that have taken a favorable position on the medical use of marijuana with a physician's recommendation in this document.

• Research Supports the Efficacy of Marijuana as Medicine
  A large body of scientific research, including a report by the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, have concluded "that there is no clear alternative for people suffering from chronic conditions that might be relieved by smoking marijuana, such as pain or AIDS-Wasting." Read more about the research in this document.

• Nurses Support Medical Marijuana for Patients
  The American Nurses Association and nursing associations in 14 states have passed resolutions supporting medical marijuana. In addition, the National Nurses Society on Addictions and the Congress of Nursing Practice have voiced support for medical marijuana studies and the rescheduling of marijuana. Learn more about their resolutions.

• Medical Marijuana Doesn't Increase Overall Drug Use
  Studies demonstrate that states that have passed medical marijuana laws have not seen an increase in marijuana use by teens. The Institute of Medicine found no evidence for the supposition that state medical marijuana programs lead to increased use of marijuana or other drugs. Download the research paper.

• The Public Supports Medical Marijuana Laws
  There is broad public support for medical marijuana. The Institute of Medicine found that "public support for patients' access to marijuana for medical purposes appears substantial." Read all the latest polls from around the country.

• Increasing Number of States are Passing Laws Protecting Patients
  Twelve states, representing 22% of the population of the U.S., have passed laws allowing adults to grow and possess marijuana with the recommendation of their physician. Maryland has an affirmative defense law protecting patients from prosecution. Nine states are considering legislation currently.

• Religious Organizations Support Patients Right to Use Marijuana Legally
  Major religious denominations, asserting an ethical responsibility to help the sick and dying, are increasingly calling for laws to protect patients from arrest. The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Union for Reform Judaism and the Progressive Baptist Convention have all made statements or passed resolutions supporting controlled use of marijuana as medicine. Download their position statements, including the United Methodist Church resolution.

• Doctors Cannot be Prosecuted for Recommending Marijuana to Patients
  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Conant v. Walters (2002) that the federal government "may not initiate an investigation of a physician solely on the basis of a recommendation of marijuana within a bona fide doctor-patient relationship." Read the court's decision.