Medical Marijuana ProCon .org |
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| 1. | Name: | Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) | |||||||||
| 2. | Medical Marijuana Position: | Con to the question "Should marijuana be a medical option?" | |||||||||
| 3. | Reasoning: | "The Administration is adamantly opposed to the use of marijuana outside of authorized research. However, legitimate medications containing marijuana components have proven effective in relieving the symptoms of some medical conditions… In light of the need for research-based evidence, ONDCP asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in January 1997 to review all scientific evidence concerning the medical use of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids… The IOM study concluded that there is little future in smoked marijuana as medication. Although marijuana smoke delivers THC and other cannabinoids to the body, it also contains harmful substances, including most of those found in tobacco smoke. The long-term harms from smoking make it a poor drug delivery system, particularly for pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases. In addition, cannabis contains a variable mixture of biologically active compounds. Even in cases where marijuana can provide symptomatic relief, the crude plant does not meet the modern expectation that medicines be of known quality and composition. Nor can smoked marijuana guarantee precise dosage. If there is any future for cannabinoid medications, it lies with agents of certain composition and delivery systems that permit controlled doses." (2002) |
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| 4. | Credibility Ranking: |
Those individuals and organizations involved in the Medical Marijuana debate which do not fit into the other star categories. |
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| 5. | Organization | ||||||||||
| A. Mission: | "To establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation's drug control program. The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences."
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| B. Description: | Coordinates the drug policy of 50 U.S. agencies. | ||||||||||
| C. Structure: | U.S. Government agency, a division of the Executive Branch | ||||||||||
| D. Members / Constituents: |
150 | ||||||||||
| $18 billion (2001) | |||||||||||
| F. Sr. Executive: | John P. Walters | ||||||||||
| G. Title: | Director | ||||||||||
| H. Contact Info: |
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| I: # of offices: | 1 | ||||||||||
| J: Staff: | 150 | ||||||||||
| 6. | Relevant Affiliations: | Executive Office of the President | |||||||||