National State and Nursing Policies

2008 ANA Position on Cannabis in Medicine

California Nurses Association Position Paper on MMJ

POSITION: legal access under a physician's supervision

Colorado Nurses Association Statement on MMJ

POSITION: prescriptive access*

SUPPORTING STATEMENTS: "The Colorado Nurses Association recognize the therapeutic use of cannabis [and] support efforts to end federal policies which prohibit or unnecessarily restrict marijuana's legal availability for legitimate health care uses. ... Marijuana must be placed in a less restrictive Schedule and made available to patients who may benefit from its use." * REFERENCE: Colorado Nurses Association 1995 Conventional Directory and Book of Reports

New York State Nurses Association Position on MMJ

The intent of this position statement is to acknowledge the role of nurses to advocate for patient access to marijuana for therapeutic purposes and support legislation that would legalize medical marijuana for symptom relief.

POSITION: The New York State Nurses Association:

  • Endorses the American Nurses Association Position Statement for Support of Safe Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis (ANA, 2004).
  • Supports legislative efforts in New York State that would amend Article 33 of Public Health Law and allow the growth and use of marijuana for patients whose symptoms are within designated guidelines.
  • Endorses the use of marijuana for serious and life-threatening medical conditions as defined by proposed New York State legislation.

Oregon Nurses Association Position Statement on the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana

Summary: Since the initial Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) position statement on medical marijuana in 1997, there is an increasing body of research on therapeutic effects of grown marijuana and, outside the United States, marijuana-derived medications for specific illnesses. However, research to measure the impact of marijuana use on work performance is sparse. When nurses deliver direct care, patient safety is the primary concern. At the same time, nurses are entitled to the same privacy for their health treatments and the same protections in the workplace as other health professionals. In the absence of clear evidence regarding the impact on performance when a nurse uses marijuana therapeutically to relieve symptoms, ONA supports the following:

PNSA Position Statement on Patients Who Use Cannabis