cannabisnews.com: California County Submits MMJ Proposal!





California County Submits MMJ Proposal!
Posted by FoM on April 09, 1999 at 07:03:09 PT
Source: NORML
San Mateo, CA: San Mateo County officials submitted a proposal to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeking approval to conduct clinical trials on medical marijuana. The study hopes to better determine inhaled marijuana's medical benefits on patients. 
"What we've done is we have pushed the envelope as San Mateo County is the first [California] governmental entity that's been willing to put its money up to conduct clinical trials," County Supervisor Mike Nevin said. "Our hope is that these trials will ultimately lead the United States of America to change the law."   NIDA is the sole supplier of marijuana for research purposes and must approve all clinical trials on the drug. The agency has approved almost no medical marijuana research proposals this decade.   San Mateo County is the third state governmental agency to submit a medical marijuana research proposal to NIDA since 1996. Previous proposals by the Washington and Massachusetts state boards of health were rejected by the agency. NIDA rejected a separate protocol from private researchers to study marijuana in migraine treatment last fall.   In addition to NIDA approval, federal guidelines require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide primary funding for all medical marijuana trials. Private donations may not fund the research. No other drug must meet such requirements.   NORML Foundation Executive Director Allen St. Pierre said he applauded Nevin's efforts to get medical marijuana into the hands of local patients, but doubted that NIDA would approve his proposal. "While the government publicly invites researchers to study medical marijuana, it privately works to quash these proposals," he said.   For more information, please contact either Dale Gieringer of California NORML   (415) 563-5858 or Paul Armentano of The NORML Foundation   (202) 483-8751. 
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