Please testify in favor of medical marijuana resolution

Published: May 4, 2004

As you may know, the Texas Medical Association (TMA) will be holding a conference in Austin from May 13 to May 15. (Click here to learn more about the conference.)

During the conference, the House of Delegates, TMA's policy-making body, will be reviewing recommendations on different issues and deciding whether TMA should support them during the next legislative session. One of the recommendations calls on TMA to strengthen its position on medical marijuana. The recommendation reads as follows:

"Recommendation 2: Adopt the following as association policy: The Texas Medical Association supports (1) the physician's right to discuss with his/her patients any and all possible treatment options related to the patients' health and clinical care, including the use of marijuana, without the threat to the physician or patient of regulatory, disciplinary, or criminal sanctions; and (2) further well-controlled studies of the use of marijuana with seriously ill patients who may benefit from such alternative treatment."

Texans for Medical Marijuana (TMM) is looking for doctors who support medical marijuana, are members of the TMA, and would be interested in traveling to Austin to present testimony in favor of the recommendation—as well as offering an amendment to further strengthen the recommendation. The recommendation with the proposed amendment reads as follows:

"Recommendation 2: Adopt the following as association policy: The Texas Medical Association supports (1) the physician's right to discuss with his/her patients any and all possible treatment options related to the patients' health and clinical care, including the use of marijuana, without the threat to the physician or patient of regulatory, disciplinary, or criminal sanctions and seriously ill people should not be subject to criminal sanctions for using marijuana if the patient's physician has told the patient that such use is likely to be beneficial; and (2) further well-controlled studies of the use of marijuana with seriously ill patients who may benefit from such alternative treatment."

If you are interested in attending the conference and testifying in favor of the recommendation with the amendment. If so, please contact Noelle Davis either by e-mail or by calling 512-542-9103. Note that the reference committee will be taking testimony on Thursday, May 13, from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at which time TMM needs a TMA member to propose the amendment to the current recommendation.