105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. J. RES. 117
JOINT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress in support of the
existing Federal legal process for determining the safety
and efficacy of drugs, including marijuana and other
Schedule I drugs, for medicinal use.
Whereas certain drugs are listed on Schedule I of the Con-
trolled Substances Act if they have a high potential for
•HJ 117 EH
abuse, lack any currently accepted medical use in treat-
ment, and are unsafe, even under medical supervision;
Whereas the consequences of illegal use of Schedule I drugs
are well documented, particularly with regard to physical
health, highway safety, and criminal activity;
Whereas pursuant to section 401 of the Controlled Sub-
stances Act, it is illegal to manufacture, distribute, or
dispense marijuana, heroin, LSD, and more than 100
other Schedule I drugs;
Whereas pursuant to section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug
and Cosmetic Act, 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 to ensure it is safe and effec-
tive;
Whereas marijuana and other Schedule I drugs have not been
approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat
any disease or condition;
Whereas the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act already
prohibits the sale of any unapproved drug, including
marijuana, that has not been proven safe and effective
for medical purposes and grants the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration the authority to enforce this prohibition
through seizure and other civil action, as well as through
criminal penalties;
Whereas marijuana use by children in grades 8 through 12
declined steadily from 1980 to 1992, but, from 1992 to
1996, has dramatically increased by 253 percent among
8th graders, 151 percent among 10th graders, and 84
percent among 12th graders, and the average age of
•HJ 117 EH
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;
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; and
Whereas the rate of illegal drug use among youth is linked
to their perceptions of the health and safety risks of
those drugs, and the ambiguous cultural messages about
marijuana use are contributing to a growing acceptance
of marijuana use among children and teenagers: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That—
(1) Congress continues to support the existing
Federal legal process for determining the safety and
efficacy of drugs and opposes efforts to circumvent
this process by legalizing marijuana, and other
Schedule I drugs, for medicinal use without valid
scientific evidence and the approval of the Food and
Drug Administration; and
•HJ 117 EH
(2) not later than 90 days after the date of the
adoption of this resolution—
(A) the Attorney General shall submit to
the Committees on the Judiciary of the House
of Representatives and the Senate a report
on—
(i) the total quantity of marijuana
eradicated in the United States during the
period from 1992 through 1997; and
(ii) the annual number of arrests and
prosecutions for Federal marijuana of-
fenses during the period described in
clause (i); and
(B) the Commissioner of Foods and Drugs
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce of
the House of Representatives and the Commit-
tee on Labor and Human Resources of the Sen-
ate a report on the specific efforts underway to
enforce sections 304 and 505 of the Federal
•HJ 117 EH
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act with respect to
marijuana and other Schedule I drugs.
Passed the House of Representatives September 15,
1998.
Attest:
Clerk.