The Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) supports the use of marijuana in strictly controlled medical research programs for patients who have cancer or glaucoma or who suffer from seizures as a result of refractory epilepsy.

This is an important issue for MAG, which is the leading voice for the medical profession in Georgia with more than 7,500 member physicians who represent every specialty and practice setting in the state.

MAG appreciates the steps that lawmakers in Georgia are taking to reach out to physicians as they craft legislation to address medical marijuana. We also applaud them for seeking solutions for the patients and family members who have to cope with these serious medical conditions on a daily basis.

The medical profession does not have any definitive, black-and-white research (i.e., evidence) when it comes to the efficacy of medical marijuana.

Our policy is based on “uncontrolled” research that suggests that there is a good chance that cannabidiol – an ingredient in the marijuana plant that does not get the patient high – may provide some patients with some health benefits (e.g., ameliorating epilepsy in children).

Unfortunately, more comprehensive studies simply aren’t available because, at least in part, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified every cannabinoid as a controlled substance (i.e., it has been illegal).

The landscape is changing as a result of several key developments. First, President Obama has signed an executive order that cleared the way for clinical research to take place in academic settings (i.e., the federal government won’t actively enforce the law). Second, a number of states have passed laws to decriminalize or legalize cannabinoidal products.

Because a physician can’t legally “prescribe” a cannabidiol to a patient today as a result of the aforementioned FDA classification, these products could end up being classified as supplements. MAG consequently believes that the state should regulate the quality of the products that are used in clinical trials to safeguard patients. MAG is also calling for product labels that include dose and composition and purity information.

Clinical trials are already underway with pediatric neurology patients in Atlanta, and Georgia Regents University will begin two cannabinoid trials for patients who have refractory epilepsy later this year.

MAG will be focused on ensuring that the products that are used in these trials are truly safe for patients. In addition, we will monitor developments to ensure that the physicians who care for these patients aren’t held liable for any civil or criminal penalties for violating the federal statutes in the event they are enforced in the future.

It is also worth noting that in order to avoid being at odds with federal law (i.e., the FDA classification), the patients who participate in the clinical trials in Georgia will obtain the cannabinoid products with a physician’s “recommendation” rather than a prescription.

As a final but important aside, Georgians should know that MAG opposes the use of marijuana and its derivatives (e.g., THC) for any purpose other than medical research. We adopted this policy for good medical reasons.

The bottom line is that MAG supports the use of marijuana in strictly controlled medical research programs so physicians can obtain some much-needed patient safety and product efficacy research so they can do what is best for their patients, and so they can help the state determine what additional steps it should consider taking on this front in the future.