Pubdate: Fri, 06 Feb 2015
Source: Independent  (UK)
Copyright: 2015 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.independent.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/209
Author: Tim Walker, US Correspondent

TOP US DOCTOR BACKS MARIJUANA USE

The top doctor in the US has acknowledged for the first time that 
marijuana has legitimate medical applications, potentially signalling 
a change in Washington's attitude to the drug. Speaking to CBS this 
week, the new US Surgeon General, Dr Vivek Murthy, said: "We have 
some preliminary data that for certain medical conditions and 
symptoms, marijuana can be helpful."

The 37-year-old, British-born physician took up the office of Surgeon 
General in December. Though he did not explicitly endorse legalising 
cannabis for medical purposes, he did suggest US drug policy ought to 
be science-led. "I think we have to use that data to drive 
policymaking, and I'm very interested to see where that data takes 
us," he said.

Marijuana remains illegal under US federal law, but Dr Murthy's 
remarks will likely amplify calls for the Justice Department to 
downgrade its designation for the drug, which it currently classifies 
as a Schedule I Controlled Substance - alongside heroin and LSD - 
meaning it has "no currently accepted medical use and a high 
potential for abuse".

Despite the federal ban, 23 states and the District of Columbia have 
already legalised medical marijuana, while the drug is now also legal 
for recreational use in Colorado, Alaska, Oregon and Washington state.

Dr Murthy may be the first surgeon general to publicly acknowledge 
the medical benefits of marijuana while in office, but Joycelyn 
Elders, Surgeon General under the Clinton administration, suggested 
in 1993 that legalising drugs would significantly reduce crime in the 
US. Dr Elders was later ousted from her post following criticism from 
conservatives of her views.

Last year, in an interview with The New Yorker, President Barack 
Obama said he believed marijuana was less dangerous than alcohol "in 
terms of its impact on the individual consumer".
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom