American Nurses Association Calls For Rescheduling of Cannabis
The American Nurses Association (ANA) shared its support for the medical properties of cannabis in a statement. The position statement recognized the benefits of cannabinoids and its opinion that cannabis should be researched and rescheduled by the federal government.
The position statement reads, “The purpose of this statement is to reiterate the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) support for the review and reclassification of marijuana’s status from a federal Schedule I controlled substances to facilitate urgently needed clinical research to inform patients and providers on the efficacy of marijuana and related cannabinoids.”
The fact that cannabis is still under a Schedule I classification in the United States has created many hurdles for those who want to research and utilize the medicinal properties of the plant. In order for scientists to research cannabis, they are often required to obtain a Schedule I research license, which can be a difficult task. If researchers do receive the license, they are then only able to get cannabis from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These limited resources and licenses hinder scientists’ ability to study cannabis in depth.
Cannabis being held at a Schedule I goes against recommendations from experts across various professional fields. “While numerous scholars and organizations have called for an expansion in research, regulatory restrictions have impeded this effort,” according to the statement. “ANA recommends additional scientific research of marijuana and its related cannabinoids in order to guide evidence-based practice for therapeutic use in patients.”
ANA is vocal in calling out the hypocrisy of the scheduling, sharing that cannabis has been notoriously used for medicinal purposes throughout our history. In fact, cannabis was part of America’s Pharmocopeia before Prohibition. Now, the medical benefits of cannabis are being proven every day, and ANA was able to point out some of these proven uses. The statement reads, “Marijuana has been used for alleviating symptoms of nausea and vomiting; stimulating appetite in HIV patients; alleviating chronic pain; easing plasticity due to multiple sclerosis; decreasing symptoms of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and psychosis; and reliving intraocular pressure from glaucoma.”
Overall, the ANA believes patients and health care providers should be safe from federal prosecution regarding medical cannabis, and the nurses organization hopes to see further research and the rescheduling of cannabis in the near future.
