As more states relax marijuana use and possession laws, delegates at the American Medical Association’s Special Meeting voted Tuesday to clarify AMA policy to say that the association “believes that cannabis is a dangerous drug and as such is a serious public health concern.”
The policy also was amended to clarify that sale of cannabis should not be legalized; that physicians should discourage its use, particularly among youth and pregnant and breast-feeding women; and that “states that have already legalized cannabis (for medical or adult use or both) should be required to take steps to regulate the product effectively in order to protect public health and safety.”
Other policy amendments include requiring “meaningful and easily understood units of consumption” on packaging, and requiring “that for commercially available edibles, packaging must be child resistant and come with messaging about the hazards about unintentional ingestion in children and youth.”
Delegates also recommended “AMA study the expungement, destruction, and sealing of criminal records for legal offenses related to cannabis use or possession.”
The house also endorsed the use of home injections and/or infusions of certain drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration – such as antibiotic therapy – only if recommended and supervised by a physician. The measure also calls for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and private payers to provide adequate physician payment for such treatments.
Last Updated On
November 19, 2020
Originally Published On
November 19, 2020