IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 372

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that marijuana is

a dangerous and addictive drug and should not be legalized for medicinal

use.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 26, 1998

Mr. MCCOLLUM (for himself, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. COBLE, Mr.

BUYER, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. BARR of Georgia, Mr. HUTCHINSON, and Mr.

GEKAS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that

marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug and should

not be legalized for medicinal use.

Whereas certain drugs are listed on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act if they have a high potential for

abuse, lack any currently accepted medical use in treatment, and are unsafe, even under medical supervision;

Whereas the consequences of addiction to Schedule I drugs

are well documented, particularly with regard to physical

health, highway safety, criminal activity, and domestic violence;
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Whereas marijuana—which along with crack cocaine, heroin,

PCP, and more than 100 other drugs, has long been classified as a Schedule I drug—is both dangerous and addictive, with research clearly demonstrating that smoked

marijuana impairs normal brain functions and damages

the heart, lungs, reproductive, and immune systems;

Whereas before any drug can be approved as a medication in

the United States, it must meet extensive scientific and

medical standards established by the Food and Drug Administration, and marijuana has not been approved by

the Food and Drug Administration to treat any disease

or condition;

Whereas a review by the Annals of Internal Medicine of more

than 6,000 articles from the medical literature evaluating

the potential medicinal applications of marijuana concluded that marijuana is not a medicine, that its use

causes significant toxicity, and that numerous safe and

effective medicines are available, which means that the

use of crude marijuana for medicinal purposes is unnecessary and inappropriate;

Whereas on the basis of the scientific evidence and the testimony of the American Medical Association, the American

Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the National Eye Institute, and the National Institute of Drug

Abuse, marijuana has not met the necessary standards to

be approved as medicine;

Whereas the States of Arizona and California, through State

initiatives in 1996, legalized the sale and use of marijuana for ‘‘medicinal’’ use, while the State of Washington

in 1997 rejected an initiative to legalize the sale and use

of marijuana for ‘‘medicinal’’ use;
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Whereas after the initiative in Arizona, the legislature of the

State of Arizona, with the support of a majority of the

citizens of the State, passed legislation to prevent the dispensing of any substance as medicine which had not first

been approved as medicine by the Food and Drug Administration, thereby preventing marijuana from being dispensed in the State;

Whereas these States and a majority of States in the United

States, as well as the District of Columbia, have been

targeted by out-of-State organizations which advocate

drug legalization for ‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives in

1998 and 1999, and these organizations have provided

the majority of the financial support for these State initiatives;

Whereas some individuals and organizations who support

‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives do oppose drug legalization, prominent pro-legalization organizations have admitted their strategy is to promote drug legalization nationally through State ‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives,

and, as such, are seeking to exploit the public’s compassion for the terminally ill to advance their agenda;

Whereas marijuana use by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders declined steadily from 1980 to 1992, but, from 1992 to

1996, such use dramatically increased—by 253 percent

among 8th graders, 151 percent among 10th graders,

and 84 percent among 12th graders—and the average

age of first-time use of marijuana is now younger than

it has ever been;

Whereas according to the 1997 survey by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University,

500,000 8th graders began using marijuana in the 6th

and 7th grades;
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Whereas according to that same 1997 survey, youths between

the ages of 12 and 17 who use marijuana are 85 times

more likely to use cocaine than those who abstain from

marijuana and 60 percent of adolescents who use marijuana before the age of 15 will later use cocaine;

Whereas the rate of drug use among youth is linked to their

perceptions of the risks which are related to drugs and,

in that regard, the glamorization of marijuana and the

ambiguous cultural messages about marijuana use are

contributing to a growing acceptance of marijuana use

among adolescents and teenagers;

Whereas surveys taken in the wake of State ‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives indicate a more approving attitude toward marijuana use among teenagers than prior to the

initiatives; and

Whereas the evidence of the last 2 years indicates that the

more the public learns about the facts behind the ‘‘medical’’ marijuana campaign, the more strongly opposed the

public becomes to such initiatives: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) the United States House of Representatives

3 is unequivocally opposed to legalizing marijuana for

4 medicinal use, and urges the defeat of State initia5 tives which would seek to legalize marijuana for me6 dicinal use; and

7 (2) the Attorney General of the United States

8 should submit a report to the Committee on the Ju9 diciary of the House of Representatives before the
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1 end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of

2 the adoption of this resolution on—

3 (A) the total quantity of marijuana eradi4 cated in the United States beginning with 1992

5 through 1997; and

6 (B) the annual number of arrests and

7 prosecutions for Federal marijuana offenses be8 ginning with 1992 through 1997.

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