The second-largest group of doctors in the United States has approved Friday the use of marijuana for medical purposes, issuing a policy statement on medical marijuana this week.

The American College of Physicians, with 124,000 members, asked the U.S. government to cancel the ban on using marijuana for treating some patients or for medical experiments, stating that the research found that the non-smoked forms of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), (the main psychoactive element in marijuana), have been efficient in treating weight loss caused by AIDS, and nausea and vomiting pursuant to chemotherapy in cancer patients.

The doctors group urges the federal government to legalize marijuana and exclude it from the so called Schedule I, a drug category also containing illegal drugs such as heroin and LSD. Moreover, the ACP calls for protection of both doctors and patients from criminal and civil penalties in the states where medical marijuana laws have been adopted, the Los Angeles Times informs. A dozen states have already adopted laws which allow the use of marijuana as medicine.

The ACP also advises the government to ease the approval process of research on marijuana, which could lead to more accurate data related to the therapeutic value of the plant.

“Additional research is needed to clarify marijuana's therapeutic properties and determine standard and optimal doses and routes of delivery. Unfortunately, research expansion has been hindered by a complicated federal approval process, limited availability of research-grade marijuana and the debate over legalization,” the Philadelphia-based doctors group aid.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy seemed to be unimpressed by the findings. David Murray, chief scientist said: “This is not medical science. This is a policy paper. A political act calling for political response.”

Murray stated that medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society are against using marijuana as medicine. The White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy said the FDA should decide whether or not to issue approval of marijuana as medicine.