Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Aug;30(4):333-6.
doi: 10.1136/jme.2002.001347.

Prescribing cannabis: freedom, autonomy, and values

M Hayry  1
Affiliations

Prescribing cannabis: freedom, autonomy, and values

M Hayry. J Med Ethics. 2004 Aug.

Abstract

In many Western jurisdictions cannabis, unlike most other psychoactive drugs, cannot be prescribed to patients even in cases where medical professionals believe that it would ease the patient's pain or anxiety. The reasons for this prohibition are mostly ideological, although medical and moral arguments have been formulated to support it. In this paper, it is argued that freedom, properly understood, provides a sound ethical reason to allow the use of cannabis in medicine. Scientific facts, appeals to harm and autonomy, and considerations of symbolic value cannot consistently justify prohibitions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. BMJ. 2001 Jul 7;323(7303):16-21 - PubMed
    1. BMJ. 2001 Jul 7;323(7303):13-6 - PubMed
    1. BMJ. 2001 Jul 7;323(7303):2-3 - PubMed
    1. J Med Philos. 2000 Feb;25(1):107-13; discussion 114-20 - PubMed
    1. Pain. 1999 Aug;82(2):199-205 - PubMed

Substances