cannabisnews.com: No More Evidence Necessary Before Prescribing MMJ





No More Evidence Necessary Before Prescribing MMJ
Posted by FoM on January 06, 2000 at 13:35:47 PT
A Letter To The Editor By Gary Storck
Source: DPFWI
 I am writing in reference to the article, "Evidence Necessary Before Prescribing Marijuana", January 6, 2000, by Richard Roberts, MD. Apparently Dr. Roberts is unaware that The National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine released a report in March of 1999 concluding that marijuana has significant therapeutic potential. 
It recommended immediate single patient access for some patients to this medicine. Dr. Roberts evidently does not care about patients who do not respond to "current proven treatments", and should be aware there are many of us. I would certainly be hesitant to seek treatment from a physician unwilling to exercise every treatment option available. Some doctors may be unwilling to recommend marijuana because of its illegal status or that they know little about its medical use because such information has been purged from most of today's medical references, not because it doesn't work. The fact is in its long history, there has not been one death recorded due to marijuana toxicity. By contrast, deaths from the side effects of conventional medications are said to cause over 100,000 deaths per year. In 1988, after an exhaustive review, the DEA's own Administrative Law Judge Francis Young concluded, "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care." There are plenty of physicians with the intelligence to recognize that marijuana is medicine, and the courage to recommend it despite cruel and immoral government policies that suppress its medical use. Dr. Roberts does his patients and readers a grave disservice by closing his mind to the therapeutic benefits of marijuana. When one examines the facts, it's medical utility is well documented. Perhaps he thinks arresting and jailing patients is good medicine, too.Gary Storck Madison, WI Related Article & Web Site:Drug Policy Forum of Wisconsin Home Pagehttp://www.drugsense.org/dpfwi/The IOM Reporthttp://www.drugsense.org/iom_report/Evidence Necessary Before Prescribing Marijuana - 1/06/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4193.shtmlPlease Write a Letter Today! 3 Tips for Letter Writers http://www.mapinc.org/3tips.htmLetter Writers Style Guide http://www.mapinc.org/style.htm 
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Comment #1 posted by Gary Storck on January 06, 2000 at 21:21:21 PT:
Transcripts of the Doctor's Radio Disinformation 
I found these searching the State Medical Society of Wisconsin website. It seems that Dr. Roberts also may have a practice in the Madison area. These are apparent transcripts of a short radio piece he did in 1999. ------- >From the State Medical Society of Wisconsin website: http://www.wismed.com/news/onair/1medmaj12201999.htm On-Air Health CareMedical Marijuana #1 Source: Richard Roberts, MD (family practice, Madison) Length: :47 December 20, 1999Host:Vice President Al Gore said recently (Dec. 14) that the government should give doctors greater flexibility to prescribe marijuana. But a medical leader in Wisconsin says current treatments are better. Steve Busalacchi reports.During his 16 years as a family medicine physician, the State Medical Society’s Doctor Richard Roberts says he has not had the occasion to use or recommend medical marijuana because more established treatments are effective. Verona’s Doctor Roberts is president elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians.:12 “I’m certain that there may be patients out there that traditional, or usual treatments have not helped sufficiently, but that has not been my experience.”Doctor Roberts says large, well-controlled studies of medical marijuana must be done before it’s used as a treatment option. Otherwise, he says suffering patients may miss out treatments that already are proven to work. With the State Medical Society’s On-Air Health Care report, I’m Steve Busalacchi© 1999 State Medical Society of Wisconsinhttp://www.wismed.com/news/onair/2medmaj12201999.htmOn-Air Health CareMedical Marijuana #2 Source: Richard Roberts, MD (family practice, Madison) Length: :43 December 20, 1999Host:A Wisconsin medical leader says it’s not time to encourage medical marijuana use, despite Vice President Al Gore’s recent call to give doctors greater flexibility to prescribe it. Steve Busalacchi reports.The State Medical Society’s Doctor Richard Roberts says the evidence simply is not in with regard to the effectiveness of medical marijuana. So he does not support its use until large, well-controlled studies show marijuana is better than currently approved treatments.:14 “We usually insist on pretty good quality of evidence before going forward with any new medication, and in this instance, that’s really how marijuana needs to be looked at, as another proposed medication. We should expect to use the same kinds of standards of evidence.”Doctor Roberts says he has never had a case where he was tempted to use or recommend medical marijuana because standard treatments were effective. With the State Medical Society’s On-Air Health Care report, I’m Steve Busalacchi.© 1999 State Medical Society of Wisconsin--------- http://www.wismed.com/news/onair/3medmaj12201999.htmOn-Air Health CareMedical Marijuana #3 Source: Richard Roberts, MD (family practice, Madison) Length: :58 December 20, 1999Host:Vice President Al Gore has reinvigorated the debate over whether the government should make it easier for doctors to prescribe medical marijuana. But a State Medical Society leader says that could shortchange patients. Steve Busalacchi reports.Verona’s Doctor Richard Roberts is a family medicine physician who says marijuana should be treated no differently than any other proposed medicine. It needs to be studied on a large scale basis with proven effectiveness, before used for widespread medical treatment. Doctor Roberts says the risk of using marijuana now, before the scientific evidence is in, is that suffering patients may not receive the best relief available.:12 “You may try it at the expense of or instead of what are more likely to be proven effective therapies, and that means you may miss out on a chance to truly, effectively treat it.”Doctor Roberts says he’s certain that there are patients who don’t respond well to traditional treatments, but that has not been his experience after 16 years of practice. Roberts adds that patients are better off with proven treatments rather than risking unknown side effects with unproven ones. With the State Medical Society’s On-Air Health Care report, I’m Steve Busalacchi.© 1999 State Medical Society of Wisconsin
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