Looks like America just joined the Dutch (who are getting rid of some of their coffee shops and making weed with more than 15 percent THC illegal to sell in "coffee shops"). Thoughts? [url=http://americannewsreport.com/nationalpainreport/ama-opposes-legalization-calls-marijuana-dangerous-drug-8822463.html]Linky[/url] [url=http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/11/20/ama-reaffirms-opposition-to-marijuana-legalization]You have to click on the marijuana as medicine statement under 2013 to see the psychiatrists' view on weed[/url] If you're too lazy to click on the American Psychiatric Association's statement: "• There is no current scientific evidence that marijuana is in any way beneficial for the treatment of any psychiatric disorder. In contrast, current evidence supports, at minimum, a strong association of cannabis use with the onset of psychiatric disorders. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to harm, given the effects of cannabis on neurological development. • Further research on the use of cannabis-derived substances as medicine should be encouraged and facilitated by the federal government. The adverse effects of marijuana, including, but not limited to, the likelihood of addiction, must be simultaneously studied. • Policy and practice surrounding cannabis-derived substances should not be altered until sufficient clinical evidence supports such changes. • If scientific evidence supports the use of cannabis-derived substances to treat specific conditions, the medication should be subject to the approval process of the FDA. Regarding state initiatives to authorize the use of marijuana for medical purposes: • Medical treatment should be evidence-based and determined by professional standards of care; it should not be authorized by ballot initiatives. • No medication approved by the FDA is smoked. Marijuana that is dispensed under a state-authorized program is not a specific product with controlled dosages. The buyer has no way of knowing the strength or purity of the product, as cannabis lacks the quality control of FDA-approved medicines. • Prescribers and patients should be aware that the dosage administered by smoking is related to the depth and duration of the inhalation, and therefore difficult to standardize. The content and potency of various cannabinoids contained in marijuana can also vary, making dose standardization a challenging task. • Physicians who recommend use of smoked marijuana for “medical” purposes should be fully aware of the risks and liabilities inherent in doing so. AUTHORS: Tauheed Zaman, M.D. Richard N. Rosenthal, M.D. John A. Renner, Jr., M.D. Herbert D. Kleber, M.D. Robert Milin, M.D. " Discuss.