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







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 117

  Expressing the sense of Congress that marijuana is a dangerous and 
     addictive drug and should not be legalized for medicinal use.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 1998

  Mr. McCollum (for himself, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Portman, Mr. Coble, Mr. 
Buyer, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Barr of Georgia, Mr. Hutchinson, and Mr. Gekas) 
 introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the 
    Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of Congress 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 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 addiction to Schedule I drugs are well documented, 
        particularly with regard to physical health, highway safety, criminal 
        activity, and domestic violence;
Whereas marijuana--which, along with crack cocaine, heroin, PCP, and more than 
        100 other drugs, has long been classified as a Schedule I drug--is both 
        dangerous and addictive, with research clearly demonstrating that smoked 
        marijuana impairs normal brain functions and damages the heart, lungs, 
        reproductive system, and immune system;
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 Administration, 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 concluded 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 unnecessary and inappropriate;
Whereas on the basis of the scientific evidence and the testimony of the 
        American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the National 
        Multiple Sclerosis Association, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 
        the National 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 marijuana for ``medicinal'' use, while the 
        State of Washington in 1997 rejected an initiative to legalize the sale 
        and use of marijuana for ``medicinal'' use;
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 dispensing of any substance as 
        medicine if the substance had not first been approved as medicine by the 
        Food and Drug Administration, thereby preventing marijuana from being 
        dispensed 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 that 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 initiatives;
Whereas although some individuals and organizations who support ``medical'' 
        marijuana initiatives do oppose drug legalization, prominent pro-
        legalization organizations have admitted that their strategy is to 
        promote drug legalization nationally through State ``medical'' marijuana 
        initiatives, and, as such, are seeking to exploit the public's 
        compassion for the terminally ill to advance their agenda;
Whereas marijuana use by 8th, 10th, and 12th graders declined 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 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;
Whereas the rate of drug use among youth is linked to their perceptions of the 
        risks 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'' marijuana initiatives 
        indicate a more approving attitude toward 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 ``medical'' marijuana campaign, the 
        more strongly opposed the public becomes to such initiatives: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That--
            (1) Congress is unequivocally opposed to legalizing 
        marijuana for medicinal use, and urges the defeat of State 
        initiatives that would seek to legalize marijuana for medicinal 
        use; and
            (2) not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, the Attorney General shall submit to the Committees 
        on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate 
        a report on--
                    (A) the total quantity of marijuana eradicated in 
                the United States during the years 1992 through 1997; 
                and
                    (B) the annual number of arrests and prosecutions 
                for Federal marijuana offenses during the years 1992 
                through 1997.
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