CHRISTIAN MEDICAL & DENTAL SOCIETY



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President

James R. Hines, MD

Chief Executive Officer

David Stevens, MD

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Board of Reference

Ronald W. Blue

Founder and President

Ronald Blue & Co.

Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr., Ph.D

President

Institute of Biblical Counseling

Anthony T. Evans, ThD

President

The Urban Alternative

C. Everett Koop, MD

Former U.S. Surgeon General

Walt Larimore, MD

Family Physician,

Author, Medical Journalist

Duane Litfin, PhD

Past President

Wheaton College

Josh McDowell

Director

Josh McDowell Ministries

Haddon Robinson, PhD

Professor

Gordon-Conwell

Theological Seminary

Joni Eareckson Tada

President

JAF Ministries

Ravi Zacharias

President

Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

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P.O. Box 7500

Bristol, TN 37621-7500

Phone: (423) 844-1000

Fax: (423) 844-1005

e-mail: main@



5. development of psychotic disorders earlier with adolescent use

6. suppresses immune function, which can promote cancer growth

7. increases risk of psychotic illness by up to 40%

8. negatively impacts male sexual performance

States that have legalized marijuana as “medicine” have seen an increase in car fatalities and teen and adolescent use. Colorado, during the five-year period from 2006 to 2011, saw a 148% increase in fatal crashes involving THC, the chemical found in marijuana. (Source: Colorado Department of Transportation)

The medical director for the Denver Health adolescent substance abuse treatment program, Dr. Chris Thurstone, testified before the Colorado Statehouse on March 5, 2010, that they had clearly seen the effects of medical marijuana. “Referrals are up about 300% and we have a 2-3 month waiting list for services. Patients tell us that they have easy access to marijuana through friends who have registry cards.”… “Schools account for 30% of our referrals and are telling us that young people with marijuana registry cards are selling marijuana to students, and more and more students are showing up to class high. “

When a substance is classified as appropriate for “medical” use, the perception of risk deceases and the use increases, especially by those least able or likely to research the harm: youth, drug users and the disadvantaged. The use of marijuana as “medicine” should only be decided by those in the medical research field and then put through the rigorous approval process of the FDA, only after studying and weighing the benefits and risks.

The following Illinois members of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations ask that you oppose Illinois’ bill to legalize medical marijuana.

Sincerely,

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David Stevens, MD, MA (Ethics)

CEO, Christian Medical & Dental Associations

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March 17, 2017

To All South Carolina Senate Members:

On behalf of the nation’s largest faith-based association of physicians, the 18,000 member Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and our South Carolina members as signed below, I write in strong opposition to the proposed South Carolina legalization of medical marijuana.

The practice of medicine must be evidence-based on the basis of high quality data. All cannabis-based and cannabinoid medications should be subjected to the rigorous scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA provides important protection for patients.

All major medical organizations support the FDA approval process and reject the use of state legislative enactments to determine whether a medication should be made available to patients. These include the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians and the Institute of Medicine.

Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance for good reason under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. sec. 811). Schedule 1 substances have:

• A high potential for abuse;

• No currently acceptable medical use in treatment in the U.S.; and

• Schedule 1 controlled substances are determined by an eight-factor analysis:

1. Its actual or relative potential for abuse

2. Scientific evidence of its pharmacological effects

3. The state of current scientific knowledge regarding the drug

4. Its history and current pattern of abuse

5. The scope, duration, and significance of abuse

6. What, if any, risk there is to public health

7. Its psychic or physiological dependence liability

8. Whether the substance is an immediate precursor of a substance already under control

Marijuana’s use as a benign drug is a myth. According to multiple research studies, cannabis has a wide range of adverse properties which include:

1. 4 times more tar and 2 times more pro-carcinogens deposited in lungs than cigarettes

2. early onset lung damage 

3. worsening of schizophrenia disorders

4. adolescent use shows greater cognitive deficits

5. development of psychotic disorders earlier with adolescent use

6. suppresses immune function, which can promote cancer growth

7. increases risk of psychotic illness by up to 40%

8. negatively impacts male sexual performance

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