Science Does Not Support Jeff Sessions War on Medical Marijuana

In a predictable, but utterly absurd, effort to crack down on medical marijuana in states where it is legal, Attorney General Jeff Sessions III, is claiming that marijuana has no medical uses and is a major reason for what he calls the historic drug epidemic he sees us in.

Currently, Sessions cannot use any federal money to go after medical marijuana in states where it is legal because of an amendment passed by Congress in 2014 that prohibits any federal taxpayer dollars from being spent for this reason.  This means that U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, any agency that falls under Sessions’ Department of Justice (DOJ), cannot go after those in the state-legal medical marijuana business.  Now Sessions is asking for that amendment to be repealed, and he is asking that members of congress allow him to prosecute anyone involved in the growing, sale, or distribution of medical marijuana, and to go after medical marijuana patients as well.

However, according to a recent news article from Scientific American, leading scientific research does not support the arguments raised by Sessions about the alleged dangers of medical marijuana and any relationship between medical marijuana and the opioid crisis we are experiencing in the U.S.  It should be noted that there is little question that we have a problem with opioid abuse in this country, but there is also little evidence that there is any negative correlation between medical marijuana and opioid abuse.  In fact, it seems the opposite might be true, with marijuana being able to treat opioid addiction and being used instead of powerful and addictive narcotic painkillers.

As our Orange County medical marijuana lawyers can explain, most of the country now supports the legalization of medical marijuana.  There are already 29 states that have a legal medical marijuana program, and there are more states that are likely going to have a program in the not-too-distant future.  This position Sessions is taking is certainly not popular with the general public and goes against what President Trump promised while he was on the campaign trail.

One study from the Journal of Pain, which is a peer-reviewed study, shows that cannabis is far less addictive than the other medications currently prescribed by doctors, and medical marijuana has not led to any known deaths.   This certainly cannot be said about OxyContin, Methadone, and fentanyl patches, which are commonly prescribed to treat chronic pain.  Fentanyl patches are extremely potent and have led to many deaths. These patches are designed to be used as a transdermal patch with a time-release delivery, as we have with nicotine patches. Not only are people abusing the patches, but we also have reports of deaths from people chewing on the patches to get a rapid release of narcotic medicine                                                                                                               .

While there is some evidence that marijuana can be habit forming, it is not the same as a physical addiction as the habit-forming, if it does occur, is a physiological addiction.  This is much less of an addiction than drug users have with opioid painkillers.

The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Science Calls Out Jeff Sessions on Medical Marijuana and the “Historic Drug Epidemic,” June 14, 2017, By Dina Fine Maron, Scientific American

More Blog Entries:
Report: Colorado Marijuana Laws May Not be Safe, Feb. 5, 2017, L.A. Marijuana Lawyer Blog