The Acceptance of Medicinal Marijuana in the U.S.

ABSTRACT. Medical use of cannabis has become increasingly wide-spread due to state laws sanctioning its use. The extent of use was estimated by surveying official patient registries, private patients ’ groups, and physi-cians specializing in cannabis medicine. As of May, 2002, five states with official registration programs reported a total of over 3,400 patients, rang-ing from a high of 79 patients per 100,000 population in Oregon to a low of 3 per 100,000 in Colorado. California, which lacks a statewide registration system, has the highest concentration of patients, estimated at 30,000 (89 per 100,000). The rate of usage varies widely between different regions. Some 1 % of the population in Mendocino County, California, are legal can-nabis patients, while Canadian surveys suggest illegal usage as high as 2%-4%. As many as 5 % of registered physicians have recommended mari-juana in Oregon. The widespread acceptance of medical cannabis by physi-cians and patients suggest that marijuana’s current Schedule I classification is obsolete. [Article copies available for a fee from The Hawort