Calif. Industry Group For Doctors Backs Legalizing Pot
ANAHEIM (AP) — California's largest industry group for doctors is calling for the legalization of marijuana even as it maintains that the drug has few proven health benefits.
The Los Angeles Times reports the California Medical Association adopted the new stance at its annual meeting Friday in Anaheim.
A Sacramento physician, who wrote the new policy, says doctors are increasingly frustrated by the state's medical marijuana law, which allows use with a doctor's recommendation. Dr. Donald Lyman says physicians are put in the uncomfortable position of having to decide whether to recommend a drug that's illegal under federal law.
The group acknowledges health risks associated with marijuana use and proposes regulation similar to alcohol and tobacco, but says the consequences of criminalization outweigh the dangers.
CMA represents more than 35,000 California physicians.
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