[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 56 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
Calendar No. 594
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. J. RES. 56
Expressing the sense of 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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 21, 1998
Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Kyl, and Mr. Hatch) introduced the
following joint resolution; which was read the first time
September 22, 1998
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
JOINT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of 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 in the United States, and there is a lack of
accepted safety for their use 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 that 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.
Calendar No. 594
105th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. J. RES. 56
_______________________________________________________________________
JOINT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of 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.
_______________________________________________________________________
September 22, 1998
Read the second time and placed on the calendar