2002 Medical Marijuana Resolution

New Jersey State Nurses Association

Resolution Concerning Therapeutic Marijuana

Summary: A number of New Jersey residents would benefit from access to therapeutic marijuana as a form of treatment for their health problems.

Whereas: Marijuana has been used medicinally for centuries, and marijuana was widely prescribed by physicians in the United States until 1937, and;

Whereas: Marijuana has been reported to be effective in: a) reducing intraocular pressure in glaucoma, b) reducing nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, c) stimulating the appetite for patients living with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and suffering from the wasting syndrome, d) controlling spasticity associated with spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, and;

Whereas: Patients not helped by conventional medications and treatments may find relief from their suffering with the use of marijuana, and;

Whereas: The relative safety of marijuana has been established and the benefits associated with medical marijuana use would outweigh any potential adverse effects, and;

Whereas: Nurses have a fundamental responsibility to promote health, to prevent illness, to restore health and to alleviate suffering, and;

Whereas: Thirty-three states have passed legislation recognizing marijuana’s therapeutic value, and eight states have removed criminal penalties for use, possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical reasons, and;

Whereas: Ten State Nurses Associations, the American Nurses Association, the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and various other health-related associations have favorable positions on medical marijuana education and/or use, therefore,

Be it resolved that The New Jersey State Nurses Association:

1. Recognizes the therapeutic value and safety of medically recommended marijuana; and,

2. Recognizes the effect of second hand smoke on those in the immediate therapeutic environment; and,

3. Supports legal access to medically recommended marijuana for patients in New Jersey who are under the care of a licensed health care provider; and,

4. Urges the Governor of New Jersey and the New Jersey State Legislature to move expeditiously to make medical marijuana legally available to New Jersey residents who can benefit from it.

 References:

1. Abel EA, Marihuana: The First Twelve Thousand Years. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1982.

2. Mikuriya TH, ed. Marijuana: Medical Papers 1839-1972. Oakland, CA: Medic-Comp Press, 1973.

3. Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91-513, October 27, 1970, 21USC801 et seq.).

4. Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics. “No accepted medical value??” ACT News. Spring, 1995.

5. Grinspoon L, Bakalar JB, “Marihuana as Medicine: A plea for reconsideration”. JAMA. 1995; 273 (23:1875-1876).

6. Colasanti BK. “Review: Ocular hypotensive effect of marihuana cannabinoids: Correlate of central action or separate phenomenon”. J. Ocular Pharmacol. 1986;2(3):295-304.

7. Sallan Se, Zinberg NE, Frei III E. “Antiemetic effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabionol in cancer chemotherapy”. New Engl J. Med. 1975;293(16):795-797.

8. Nelson K, Walsh E. Deeter P, et al. “A phase II study of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabionol for appetite stimulation in cancer-associated anorexia”. J. Palliative Care. 1994;10(1):14-18.

9. Clifford DB. “Tetrahydrocannabinol for tremor in multiple sclerosis”. Ann Neurol. 1983:13:669-671.

10. Mechoulam R, ed. Cannabinoids as Therapeutic Agents, Boca Raton, FL; CRC Press, 1986.

11. Beers MH & Berkow R, ed. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Whitehorse Station, NJ, Merck Research Laboratories, 1999. P.1590-1.

12. “ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses,” revised 2000, International Council of Nurses, CH 1201 Geneva, Switzerland.  http://www.icn.ch/icncode.pdf

13. Randall RC, ed. Marijuana, Medicine & the Law, Washington, DC, Galen Press, 1988. P 278-9.

14. Randall RC, ed. Marijuana, Medicine & the Law Vol. II, Washington, DC, Galen Press, 1989.

15. Marijuana Policy Project “Partial List of Organizations with Favorable Medical Marijuana Positions” 2000. http://www.mpp.org/statelaw/app_q.html

Submitted by:      Kenneth R. Wolski, RN

Date Submitted:  January 16, 2002

Date Approved:    March 20, 2002