Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998
Judy Holland, Examiner Washington Bureau
The 310-93 vote for the resolution - sponsored by Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla. - is a response to 1996 ballot initiatives approved in California and Arizona that allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to treat symptoms of illnesses.
Similar initiatives are expected to be on the November ballot in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, and possibly the District of Columbia.
McCollum, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee's crime panel, said Tuesday that state efforts to circumvent federal anti-drug laws are "a backdoor way of legalizing marijuana."
"A tragic drug crisis is enveloping our youth," McCollum said, adding that marijuana use among young people ages 12 to 17 rose 120 percent from 1992 to 1997.
McCollum said, "Doctors and scientists with the greatest expertise have determined that marijuana is not a medicine." He said regularly smoking pot can be dangerous for people who are HIV-positive because it weakens the body's natural immunities and can accelerate the onset of AIDS.
But Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, said the resolution was a slap at his state. He said supporters of the measure "think we should just say no to sick and dying patients because it looks like we're getting tough on drugs."
Some physicians and advocacy groups contend that marijuana, when smoked, relieves symptoms of glaucoma; helps slow the wasting condition associated with AIDS; relieves nausea and vomiting of cancer patients; improves appetites in patients too sick to eat; and eases neurological disorders.
Scientists, however, are divided over the medicinal value of marijuana and are continuing to study it. The Food and Drug Administration has rejected marijuana for medicinal use. The National Academy of Sciences is expected to issue a report this winter on whether marijuana should be used as medicine. Because the resolution is nonbinding, it serves only as a recommendation and does not have the force of law.
A vote is pending in the Senate.
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