By Phil Riske | Senior Reporter/Writer

As stated in its “Declaration of Principles,” Doctors for Cannabis Regulation believes cannabis prohibition is harmful, causes far more harm than good and should instead be regulated like alcohol and tobacco.

“Prohibition is harmful, ineffective and unnecessary, the physicians group said.

The publication says cannabis regulation would permit legalization for adults, while providing education for young people, demonstrating cannabis use can be harmful to them. It would also reduce the current disproportionate impact of the criminal justice system on low-income and minority citizens.

“Everyone is entitled to their own individual opinion on this subject,” Drs. Richard Strand and Sue Sisley said in an e-mail to media. “But everyone is not entitled to their own ‘facts.’

They called opinions published in The Arizona Republic “are filled with dubious, cherry-picked or outdated information. If you look at the members of our group you will see nation wide representation from leading U.S. medical schools, legal and governmental officials, including former United States Surgeon General, Joycelyn Elders MD, and six of us from Arizona, including internationally known Andrew Weil MD. The information presented here is truly scientifically based and factual.”

The physicians conclude saying they are mainly concerned with the harm of prohibition, but are not necessarily “pro-marijuana.”

“You don’t have to be pro-marijuana to oppose its prohibition,” they said.

Related:

PRESS RELEASE DEA Approves First-Ever Trial of Medical Marijuana for PTSD in Veterans Non-profit MAPS receives $2.156 million grant from State of Colorado for first clinical trial of whole plant marijuana for PTSD treatment View online SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has formally approved the first-ever randomized controlled trial of whole plant medical marijuana (cannabis) as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in U.S. veterans. The DEA’s approval marks the first time a clinical trial intended to develop smoked botanical marijuana into a legal prescription drug has received full approval from U.S. regulatory agencies, including the DEA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study will test the safety and efficacy of botanical marijuana in 76 U.S. military veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD. The study is funded by a $2.156 million grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to the California-based non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which is sponsoring the research. The trial will gather safety and efficacy data on four potencies of smoked marijuana with varying ratios of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). By exploring the effectiveness of a variety of marijuana strains, the study seeks to generate naturalistic data comparable to how many veterans in medical marijuana states currently use marijuana. Results will provide vital information on marijuana dosing, composition, side effects, and areas of benefit to clinicians and legislators considering marijuana as a treatment for PTSD. “We have been working towards approval since we opened the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the FDA in 2010,” says Amy Emerson, Executive Director and Director of Clinical Research for the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation. “We are thrilled to see this study overcome the hurdles of approval so we can begin gathering the data. This study is a critical step in moving our botanical drug development program forward at the federal level to gather information on the dosing, risks, and benefits of smoked marijuana for PTSD symptoms.” Marcel Bonn-Miller, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, will oversee the two separate sites as Coordinating Principal Investigator (PI). Half of the subjects will be treated by Co-Investigator/Site PI Sue Sisley, M.D., in Phoenix, AZ, and the other half by Co-Investigator/Site PI Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D., at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Co-Investigator Paula Riggs, M.D., of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, will oversee the scientific integrity of the study. Blood analysis will be conducted at the University of Colorado, Boulder. MAPS will work with the FDA to manage and monitor data, oversee drug accountability, and ensure that the study follows Good Clinical Practice guidelines. Since its founding in 1986, MAPS has raised over $36 million for psychedelic therapy and medical marijuana research and education. MAPS is working to evaluate the safety and efficacy of botanical marijuana as a prescription medicine for specific medical uses approved by the FDA.