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 Com-
merce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion 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 Con-
trolled Substances Act if they have a high potential for
abuse, lack any currently accepted medical use in treat-
ment, 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 vi-
olence;
•HRES 372 IH
Whereas marijuana—which along with crack cocaine, heroin,
PCP, and more than 100 other drugs, has long been clas-
sified as a Schedule I drug—is both dangerous and ad-
dictive, 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 Ad-
ministration, 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 con-
cluded 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 unnec-
essary and inappropriate;
Whereas on the basis of the scientific evidence and the testi-
mony of the American Medical Association, the American
Cancer Society, the National Multiple Sclerosis Associa-
tion, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Na-
tional 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 mari-
juana for ‘‘medicinal’’ use, while the State of Washington
in 1997 rejected an initiative to legalize the sale and use
of marijuana for ‘‘medicinal’’ use;
•HRES 372 IH
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 dis-
pensing of any substance as medicine which had not first
been approved as medicine by the Food and Drug Admin-
istration, thereby preventing marijuana from being dis-
pensed 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 ini-
tiatives;
Whereas some individuals and organizations who support
‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives do oppose drug legaliza-
tion, prominent pro-legalization organizations have ad-
mitted their strategy is to promote drug legalization na-
tionally through State ‘‘medical’’ marijuana initiatives,
and, as such, are seeking to exploit the public’s compas-
sion for the terminally ill to advance their agenda;
Whereas marijuana use by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders de-
clined 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 Ad-
diction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University,
500,000 8th graders began using marijuana in the 6th
and 7th grades;
•HRES 372 IH
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 mari-
juana 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’’ mari-
juana initiatives indicate a more approving attitude to-
ward 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 ‘‘medi-
cal’’ marijuana campaign, the more strongly opposed the
public becomes to such initiatives: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That—
(1) the United States House of Representatives
is unequivocally opposed to legalizing marijuana for
medicinal use, and urges the defeat of State initia-
tives which would seek to legalize marijuana for me-
dicinal use; and
(2) the Attorney General of the United States
should submit a report to the Committee on the Ju-
diciary of the House of Representatives before the