The debate about medical cannabis is at a gridlock due to federal government intransigence. Success in correcting this information will mean politicians can no longer use the misinformation about (1) the gateway drug hypothesis (2) irreversible cognitive decline in adults; and cannabis causing (3) psychosis or (4) lung cancer to deny patients access to medical cannabis. This is potentially game changing for patient advocates moving forward. When patients are working to pass a new medical cannabis program or fix an existing one in their home state, they will often hear politicians, regulators, and anti-medical cannabis organizations put forth statements about the gateway theory and the other disproven harms.

If the IQA is granted, patients will be able to say that the DEA had to remove all references to these four pieces of misinformation because the are not supported by science. In other words, approved the IQA would essentially be an admission from the federal government that these four items are in fact myths. State officials will no longer be able to use these myths to prevent patients from having safe and legal access to medical cannabis.

ASA intends to break through the gridlock and advance the dialog on medical cannabis so that federal policy can be established that respects the rights and needs of patients. Ultimately, ASA seeks to end the current harm inflicted on patients as a result of misguided federal policy, which prioritizes politics over science.