[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 117 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                             H. J. RES. 117

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                            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.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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 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 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 Substances 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 effective;
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 
        Administration 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 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;
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; 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
            (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 offenses 
                        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 Committee on Labor and Human 
                Resources of the Senate a report on the specific 
                efforts underway to enforce sections 304 and 505 of the 
                Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act with respect to 
                marijuana and other Schedule I drugs.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 15, 1998.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.