The intent of this position is to acknowledge the role of nurses to advocate for patient access to marijuana for medical purposes and support legislation that would legalize medical marijuana for symptom relief uncontrolled by conventional therapies.
The New York State Nurses Association:
The New York State Nurses Association acknowledges the commitment of the registered professional nurse (RN) to society and to change social structures that may detract or diminish health and well-being (ANA, 2001). Furthermore, the RN has an ethical and moral obligation to support social policy to meet the health needs of patients and to collaborate with other health professionals to promote efforts determined to meet the health needs of the public.
Marijuana has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and was legal in the United States until 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 prohibited the use of the drug in the United States (ANA, 2004). Anecdotal accounts from patients demonstrated the antiemetic, sedative and analgesic effects as well as the stimulation of appetite and improved food intake, which prompted clinical trials in the 1970s and 1980s (The leading edge, 2001). The benefits of medicinal marijuana have been supported by clinical research. Scientific reports released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH, 1997) and the Institute Of Medicine (Joy, Watson & Benson, 1999) have helped to further enhance the status of marijuana research in the scientific community (The leading edge, 2001). Marijuana has been found to be effective to manage the following symptoms and illnesses:
The New York Nurses Association believes that providers including RNs, in their role as patient advocates, should be able to offer drugs to patients who have experienced relief of symptoms, particularly when conventional therapies have proven ineffective. The ANA and eleven of ANA’s Constituent Member Associations (CMA) have positions that address the therapeutic use of marijuana (ANA, 2004). They are Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. While federal laws provide no exception for the use of medical marijuana, nine states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) and the District of Columbia have passed medical marijuana laws; several other states have legislation pending.
The New York State Nurses Association recommends that registered professional nurses:
Approved by the Board of Directors on June 29, 1995
Reviewed by the Councils on Ethical Practice and Human Rights on April 29, 2005
Approved by the Board of Directors on June 8, 2005
Note: The use of the term “patient” anywhere in this document is intended to be generic and refers to the recipient of nursing care.
American Nurses Association. (2001). “Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements.” Washington, DC: Author.
American Nurses Association. (2004). “Position statement on providing patients safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis.” Retrieved March 21, 2005, from www.nursingworld.org
American Nurses Association, House of Delegates. (2003) “Providing patients safe access to therapeutic marijuana/cannabis.” (Available from the American Nurses Association, 8515 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910)
Bill A5878: Act to amend the public health law in relation to medical use of marijuana. State of NY. (2002-2003).
Dyer, O. (2001). Cannabis trial launched in patients with MS. “British Medical Journal,” (322), 192.
Joy, J. E., Watson, S.J., & Benson, J.A. (Eds.). (1999). “Institute of Medicine. Marijuana and medicine: Assessing the science base.” Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
The leading edge: Medical marijuana on trial. (2001). Lancet Oncology, 2(5), 251.
Medical marijuana: The continuing story, current clinical issues. (2001). “Annals of Internal Medicine,” 134, 1159-1162.
“NIH Panel Suggests More Research of Medical Marijuana.” March-April 1997. Retrieved April 4, 2005, from http://www.ndsn.org/mariapr97/mmpanel.html.
Tramer, M. R., Carroll, D., & Campbell, F., et al. (2001). Cannabinoids for the control of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting: Quantitiative systematic review. “British Medical Journal,” 323(7303), 16-21.
Trossman, S. (2000). A Virginia nurse takes on a tough issue: Medical marijuana. “The American Nurse,” 32(6), 20, 22.
U.S. Government Accounting Office. (2002). “Marijuana, Early Experiences with Four States’ Laws that allow use for medical purposes.” (GAO-03-189). Washington, DC: Author.
Virginia Nurses Association. (1994, October 7). “Resolution - legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.” (Available from Virginia Nurses Association, 7113 Three Chopt Road, Richmond, VA 23226)
For more information on nursing practice, contact NYSNA's Education, Practice and Research Program at 518.782.9400, ext. 282 or by e-mail.