Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
ZAMBIA Medical Association president Dr Aaron Mujajati has suggested that marijuana be subjected to further scientific scrutiny in view of growing debates on its health benefits.
In a statement, Dr Mujajati advised people to be open to new ideas.
"As Zambia Medical Association [ZMA], we are aware of the local sentiments on this subject and the current legal provisions. However, we should not, as a country, shy away from subjecting our practices to further interrogation. We are not an island and our ways of life are affected negatively or positively by the world beyond us," he stated.
"Medical problems in Zambia are medical problems anywhere in the world. We have benefited from research undertaken elsewhere to solve local health problems because we have been open to new ideas. What then is so special about marijuana that we cannot subject how we currently interface with the subject [to research]?"
Dr Mujajati stated that some of the health conditions for which medical marijuana had been prescribed include nausea, vomiting in chemotherapy treatment, HIV/AIDS, pain and neurological problems.
"There have also been adverse effects that include mental, behavioural, physical and social consequences. In both instances, benefits or side effects are scientifically inconclusive," he stated.
Dr Mujajati urged the government to facilitate research in medicinal marijuana.
"Against this backdrop, ZMA wishes to urge the Zambian government to facilitate research in medicinal marijuana. In the last 50 years, we have trained sufficient numbers of experts to undertake this challenge and hopefully contribute to the advancement of medicine in Zambia and beyond. We can no longer sit idly by and continue to benefit from the intellectual achievements of others when we have the basic intellectual capital to find solutions to our problems," he stated.
Dr Mujajati stated that the medical field had advanced today because medical practitioners had subjected their beliefs to research.
"What makes us believe that we know all that there is to be known about marijuana so that if we opened up the subject to further debate we may suffer irreparable damage? The practice of medicine has attained the heights that it has today because societies in which medical practitioners ply their trade have been open to new knowledge and willing to subject their beliefs to further research," he stated.
Dr Mujajati highlighted some of the benefits of legalising medicinal marijuana.
"Beyond medicinal benefits, other bodies with keen interest in this subject have cited economic benefits to the country. There are jurisdictions elsewhere one could cite to support the argument in terms of potential contributions to the economy," stated Dr Mujajati.
"But we also envisage benefits for the legal system, especially the provisions under which the Drug Enforcement Commission operates. With new information, the current legal framework on drugs may not be the same. After all, law develops with precedents as well as demand in society.
" Green Party leader Peter Sinkamba has been calling for the legalisation of medicinal marijuana for economic benefits.
While the Zambian law does not at the moment allow for this kind of usage, countries like Israel, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain do.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Post
Author: Mukosha Funga
Contact: webmaster@postzambia.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Post
In a statement, Dr Mujajati advised people to be open to new ideas.
"As Zambia Medical Association [ZMA], we are aware of the local sentiments on this subject and the current legal provisions. However, we should not, as a country, shy away from subjecting our practices to further interrogation. We are not an island and our ways of life are affected negatively or positively by the world beyond us," he stated.
"Medical problems in Zambia are medical problems anywhere in the world. We have benefited from research undertaken elsewhere to solve local health problems because we have been open to new ideas. What then is so special about marijuana that we cannot subject how we currently interface with the subject [to research]?"
Dr Mujajati stated that some of the health conditions for which medical marijuana had been prescribed include nausea, vomiting in chemotherapy treatment, HIV/AIDS, pain and neurological problems.
"There have also been adverse effects that include mental, behavioural, physical and social consequences. In both instances, benefits or side effects are scientifically inconclusive," he stated.
Dr Mujajati urged the government to facilitate research in medicinal marijuana.
"Against this backdrop, ZMA wishes to urge the Zambian government to facilitate research in medicinal marijuana. In the last 50 years, we have trained sufficient numbers of experts to undertake this challenge and hopefully contribute to the advancement of medicine in Zambia and beyond. We can no longer sit idly by and continue to benefit from the intellectual achievements of others when we have the basic intellectual capital to find solutions to our problems," he stated.
Dr Mujajati stated that the medical field had advanced today because medical practitioners had subjected their beliefs to research.
"What makes us believe that we know all that there is to be known about marijuana so that if we opened up the subject to further debate we may suffer irreparable damage? The practice of medicine has attained the heights that it has today because societies in which medical practitioners ply their trade have been open to new knowledge and willing to subject their beliefs to further research," he stated.
Dr Mujajati highlighted some of the benefits of legalising medicinal marijuana.
"Beyond medicinal benefits, other bodies with keen interest in this subject have cited economic benefits to the country. There are jurisdictions elsewhere one could cite to support the argument in terms of potential contributions to the economy," stated Dr Mujajati.
"But we also envisage benefits for the legal system, especially the provisions under which the Drug Enforcement Commission operates. With new information, the current legal framework on drugs may not be the same. After all, law develops with precedents as well as demand in society.
" Green Party leader Peter Sinkamba has been calling for the legalisation of medicinal marijuana for economic benefits.
While the Zambian law does not at the moment allow for this kind of usage, countries like Israel, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain do.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: The Post
Author: Mukosha Funga
Contact: webmaster@postzambia.com
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Post
