We are committed to ensuring safe, legal availability of marijuana for medical uses. Today over one million Americans are legally using medical marijuana—or “cannabis,” as it is more properly called—under the care of their medical professional, and 40% of the country lives in a state where this treatment is an option. This publication series is intended to help medical professionals, patients and policymakers better understand how cannabis may be used safely and effectively as a treatment for many medical conditions. You will find here information about:

We recognize that information about using marijuana as medicine has been difficult to obtain. The federal prohibition on marijuana has meant that modern clinical research has been limited, to the detriment of medical science and the wellness of patients. But the documented history of the safe, medical use of marijuana dates to 2700 B.C. Marijuana was part of the American pharmacopoeia until 1942 and is currently available by prescription in the Netherlands and Canada.

Testimonials from both doctors and patients reveal valuable information on the use of marijuana therapies, and supporting statements from professional health organizations and leading medical journals support its legitimacy as a medicine. In the last few years, clinical trials in Great Britain, Canada, Spain, Israel, and elsewhere have shown great promise for new medical applications.

This page is intended to be a starting point for the consideration of applying marijuana therapies to specific conditions; it is not intended to replace the training and expertise of physicians with regard to medicine, or attorneys with regard to the law.

But as patients, doctors and advocates who have been working intimately with these issues for many years, Americans for Safe Access has seen firsthand how helpful marijuana can be for a wide variety of indications. We know doctors want the freedom to practice medicine and patients the freedom to make decisions about their healthcare.