Cannabis Truth: In 1937 The AMA Opposed Prohibition - In Writing

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The shocking little letter many in the healthcare industry have never heard about nor read...

While the world of medicine continues its debates in regards to the merits of cannabis – some are digging deeper than others to find truths and to dispel the old and ongoing myths about the healing plant. It’s quite apparent doctors of yesteryear had more knowledge on how the plant-based medicines worked for their patients – after all in the years before prohibition over 1 million prescriptions for cannabis tinctures and other types of medicines were written by them. Many, especially in the healthcare and science industries, aren’t yet accepting the patient accounts or anecdotal cases of recovery using cannabis – and want more research which is happening – every day there’s dozens of new abstracts published, sometimes 100’s.

When we look back to prohibition itself, not much of it was originally thought nor was it about care for people needing medicine, it was done to scare people out of using what healed them. Even the term “Devil’s lettuce” dates back to Salem and the ‘witches brew’ – which was said to contain cannabis. Without doctors in those times the sick went to who was eventually deemed as Satan-worshipping witches – actually they were healers of that era.

Prohibitionists stole the deception that was used to hang those healers of Salem as witches to use on our own people.

The history of prohibition itself is often debated, today one such debate included healthcare professionals demanding that the American Medical Association was anti-cannabis and that’s why prohibition occurred. We need to allow people their opinions but facts are facts – so let’s take a look at the seldom-read letter of truth. Keep in mind there were hours of closed hearings in which the AMA reportedly made continual statements that no pharmaceutical created had greater efficacy in their opinion and instead were bewildered that simple regulation of cannabis couldn’t occur. In response to the hearing, the AMA sent this to the Senate as the first coming of Endocannabinoid Deficiency Syndrome was about to hit the world based on outright lies told to the American public – and even the AMA.

Letter from the American Medical Association

Re: H.R. 6906 (Marihuana Tax Act)

SENATOR BROWN: Before we adjourn, I desire to place in the record a letter regarding the pending bill addressed to Senator Harrison by Dr. William C. Woodward, of the American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill.

American Medical Association, Bureau of Legal Medicine and Legislation

Chicago, July 10, 1937, To Hon. Pat Harrison, Chairman, Committee on Finance, United States Senate Washington D.C.

SIR: I have been instructed by the board of trustees of the American Medical Association to protest on behalf of the association against the enactment in its present form of so much of H.R. 6906 as relates to the medicinal use of cannabis and its preparations and derivatives. The act is entitled “An Act to impose an occupational excise tax upon certain dealers in marihuana, to impose a transfer tax upon certain dealings in marihuana, and to safeguard the revenue therefrom by registry and recording.”

Cannabis and its preparations and derivatives are covered in the bill by the term “marihuana” as that term is defined in section 1, paragraph (b). There is no evidence, however, that the medicinal use of these drugs has caused or is causing cannabis addiction. As remedial agents, they are used to an inconsiderable extent, and the obvious purpose and effect of this bill are to impose so many restrictions on their use as to prevent such use altogether. Since the medicinal use of cannabis has not caused and is not causing addiction, the prevention of the use of the drug for medicinal purposes can accomplish no good end whatsoever. How far it may serve to deprive the public of the benefits of a drug that on further research may prove to be of substantial value, it is impossible to foresee.

The American Medical Association has no objection to any reasonable regulation of the medicinal use of cannabis and its preparations and derivatives. It does pretest, however, against being called upon to pay a special tax, to use special order forms in order to procure the drug, to keep special records concerning its professional use, and to make special returns to the Treasury Department officials, as a condition precedent to the use of cannabis in the practice of medicine. in the several States, all separate and apart from the taxes, order forms, records, and reports required under the Harrison Narcotics Act with reference to opium and coca leaves and their preparations and derivatives.

If the medicinal use of cannabis calls for Federal legal regulation further than the legal regulation that now exists, the drug can without difficulty be covered under the provisions of the Harrison Narcotics Act by a suitable amendment. By such a procedure the professional use of cannabis may readily be controlled as effectively as are the professional uses of opium and coca leaves, with less interference with professional practice and less cost and labor on the part of the Treasury Department.

It has been suggested that the inclusion of cannabis into the Harrison Narcotics Act would jeopardize the constitutionality of that act, but that suggestion has been supported by no specific statements of its legal basis or citations of legal authorities.

Wm. C. Woodward,

Legislative Counsel, Whereupon at 11:37 AM Monday, July 12, 1937

Reading it for yourself makes quite the impact – it even made me think a few times over again about how I feel about doctors. There are some very good ones that really care and want to learn – and even those that seem to dismiss the plant now have a very valid reason for doing so. They were lied to by their own medical organization over the years – the very professional organization charged with making sure future doctors are taught and all specialists are overseen with certifications through the AMA-approved Academy of Medicines. It’s no wonder there’s no approved entity for cannabinoid medicine and no true cannabinoid medicine academy of any type – it’s all one huge lie and has been since the original doctors of the late ’30s stepped up to the plate and “just said no” to prohibition. Many are in judgment of doctors – and rightfully so as even my own over-prescribed and are culpable in not only my addiction but the destruction of people that weren’t strong enough or didn’t have the resources I’ve had. We simply can’t blame the medical complex for not learning – but we can say ‘enough’ – we as patients don’t want the excuse of that – instead, we want our healthcare system to accept cannabis like they would the use of any other medicine – or even an herb. We don’t tell our doctors we had spaghetti last night with tomato sauce so why should we report to them that we’ve grown a plant in our garden?