I think more than half the population would support legalization if you laid out the evidence. The doctors' group argues that separating marijuana from the illegal drug market would effectively dissuade users from graduating to harder drugs. Cannabis has been around a long time. Venter's said that improperly categorizing marijuana with hard drugs like heroin and cocaine costs anti-drug proponents credibility with adolescents. If we want to be listened to about drugs, we cannot talk a lot of nonsense.
Young people know exactly what is going on.
The committee will bring their legalization motion before the BMA at next month's annual conference. The BMA backs the use of cannabinoids, compounds in marijuana, as medicine, but does not endorse relaxing penalties for the drug's recreational use. At least two international medical societies, the Canadian Medical Association and the Australian Medical Association, oppose criminal penalties for marijuana possession. The American Medical Association takes no current position on marijuana decriminalization, but supports clinical trials to better determine its medicinal qualities. Rather than airing the Rivera special, which criticized several aspects of drug criminalization, the station substituted a pre-taped feature of U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue advocating in favor of stronger drug prohibition policies.