Members of the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to adopt a measure this week expressing support for expunging prior marijuana records in states that have legalized cannabis.
The organization’s House of Delegates—which maintains an overarching policy opposing legalization—also approved separate resolutions addressing the “over-medicalization” of cannabis and criticizing the marketing of CBD products. A fourth resolution calling for allocation of federal resources to tackle “cannabis dependence,” which would be funded by a tax on marijuana businesses, was set aside.
“Fundamental fairness and equity principles argue that individuals with an arrest or conviction for cannabis-related offenses—that occurred before legalization that would make such action legal—should not suffer further legal or public health adverse effects,” the expungements report adopted by the group says.
“In addition, the net social benefits to expungement should not be used to set aside or minimize the health risks associated with cannabis use—particularly for youth and adolescents,” it continues. “Even when states take action to positively address legal inequities and support social determinants of health, there remain significant adverse health effects of cannabis use for youth and adolescents.”
AMA, which worked to overturn a voter-approved a Mississippi cannabis reform initiative, has previously published research in its own own scientific journal indicating…
