cannabisnews.com: Ending The Marijuana Monopoly Ending The Marijuana Monopoly Posted by CN Staff on May 31, 2007 at 04:54:32 PT Editorial Source: Los Angeles Times USA -- Discussion of medical marijuana has always been heavy on rhetoric, elisions and grandiose claims. What it has lacked is reliable research that might bring some of the discussion into line with reality. This is because access to the government's monopoly supply of research-grade marijuana is so restricted that the necessary research is effectively impossible. Now the Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge is recommending that the federal drug police allow competition in growing marijuana for research purposes. The administration should follow her recommendation. At issue is the supply of research-grade marijuana produced at the University of Mississippi and overseen by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This supply is supposed to be made available to DEA-registered researchers who have undergone a rigorous review and approval process by the U.S. Public Health Service. However, both medical marijuana advocates and scientists say the institute routinely refuses to make its supply available even to licensed researchers for properly authorized studies. There are at least two FDA-approved studies that cannot go forward because no research samples are available. This leaves researchers — and the 12 states that have so far approved marijuana for medical purposes — in a Catch-22: Drug warriors object that there is no research demonstrating marijuana's efficacy while preventing such research from being done. Since 2001, a scientist with the University of Massachusetts Amherst has vainly petitioned the DEA for permission to produce, under conditions that even the DEA acknowledges present little risk of diversion for illicit use, another supply of research-grade marijuana. Note: Federal officials should allow competition in growing the drug for needed studies on its medical use. Snipped:Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/yqc6abSource: Los Angeles Times (CA)Published: May 31, 2007 Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:MAPShttp://www.maps.org/Researchers Press DEA To Let Them Grow http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread23002.shtmlMarijuana Research Should Not Be Hamperedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22993.shtmlFDA Dubious Over Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread22957.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 31, 2007 at 07:53:13 PT We Don't Need Anymore Research This herb has been used since the beginning of recorded time and no one has ever died from using it. That's all the research that we should need to change the law. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by dongenero on May 31, 2007 at 07:13:00 PT As if there is no research! What rock did the LA Times just crawl out from under. There are in existence, years of studies, data, professional recommendations.Most recently from a California University right in the LA Times back yard. Uh, try to pay attention there Times journalists. If you're having some ADD problems, there is an herbal remedy that may provide some asistance to you.You can initiate study after study and conflicting research after conflicting research, I'm guess it will be so for decades to come. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment