RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 An Ethical Framework to Manage Patient Requests for Medical Marijuana
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 147
OP 151
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2020.01.190216
VO 33
IS 1
A1 Michael Redinger
A1 Nicole Fledderman
A1 Parker Crutchfield
YR 2020
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/33/1/147.abstract
AB An increasing number of states are legalizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes despite marijuana use remaining criminalized at the federal level and continued Schedule I status by the US Food and Drug Administration. Many of those states in which medical marijuana is legal require physician involvement to facilitate patient access. In addition, physicians may have ethical objections to medical marijuana use or may not believe there is adequate scientific evidence to support its use. The constellation of these factors creates an ethical quandary for physicians when approached by patients for assistance in accessing medical marijuana. This article provides an ethical framework that provides guidance to physicians in managing these patient requests taking into consideration the above ethically relevant factors.