cannabisnews.com: UMass Prof Seeks Pot Permit UMass Prof Seeks Pot Permit Posted by CN Staff on August 28, 2003 at 10:31:56 PT By Mary Carey, Staff Writer Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette A University of Massachusetts plant and soil sciences professor has applied to the federal government to grow high-quality marijuana for medicinal research. The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration is seeking comments by Sept. 22 - but only from a limited category of people - before ruling on the proposal. If approved, UMass would be the only other legal grower of marijuana for research purposes besides the University of Mississippi, which has supplied the National Institute on Drug Abuse with marijuana for 30 years. Lyle Craker, director of the medicinal plant program at UMass, first applied to the DEA in June 2001, for permission to grow an initial 25 pounds of high-potency marijuana. It would be supplied to government-approved researchers working on therapies for treating symptoms of AIDS, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis and in alleviating pain and other side effects of chemotherapy. Craker proposes to grow the marijuana, a more potent grade than that grown in Mississippi, in a secure building on campus. He would receive funding from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a Florida-based nonprofit research and educational organization that seeks to develop marijuana as a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "My current thought is that there has not been sufficient testing to tell whether this is a drug that can help people or not," Craker said. "If I look at this as a potential medicinal plant, than it is our responsibility to see that this plant material is investigated, so that the questions of whether it has medical significance or not can be answered." Craker said he has been working closely with DEA officials from Connecticut, some of whom visited the Amherst campus in December to review the specifics of his application, but it is unclear how or when the DEA will rule. "There is a lot of pressure (to oppose his application), and they're trying to respond to that in an honest way," Craker said. Public notice of Craker's application in the July 24, 2003, Federal Register limits those people who may file comments or objections to his plan to "any person who is presently registered with DEA to manufacture such substances..." Massachusetts Congressmen John Olver, Barney Frank, James McGovern, William Delahunt and Michael Capuano, who support Craker's proposal, wrote to DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson in June 2002, urging the agency to license privately funded sources of marijuana. In a prepared statement issued Wednesday, Olver said, "I urge the Drug Enforcement Administration to grant UMass Amherst a license to manufacture marijuana for scientific and medical uses approved by the FDA and DEA. Further scientific research into the risks and benefits of the potential uses of marijuana would be in the best interest of all medical patients and their families." Referring to the potential therapeutic benefits of marijuana, Olver added, "I believe that individuals who are seriously ill should have access to marijuana in order to ease their pain. Common sense dictates that we should do everything in our power to provide treatment for victims of diseases like cancer and AIDS, including allowing them to have access to this treatment that has been shown to relieve suffering." But in his July 1, 2002, response addressed to Frank, Hutchinson argued against expanding the number of marijuana producers, saying that, "For more than 30 years, the University of Mississippi has produced an adequate supply to meet the entire United States demand for research-grade marijuana. There is no indication that this supply is currently inadequate or will become inadequate in the future." Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette (MA)Author: Mary Carey, Staff WriterPublished: Thursday, August 28, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Daily Hampshire GazetteContact: opinion gazettenet.comWebsite: http://www.gazettenet.com/Related Article & Web Sites:MAPShttp://www.maps.org/MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/Privatizing Pot - Reason Magazinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16836.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #8 posted by gloovins on August 28, 2003 at 15:34:18 PT schwag origins It means low grade, knock-off priced, I think. It's in the movie Goodfella's when Deniro is gonna whack Henry's wife & sends here to pick up some dresses "down the street, cause it's 'schwag', so its there" in a old wherehouse or such. Anyway she runs off & says shes late but avoids getting killed which was smart of her...anyway, it means less than good, but smokeable I think. Just some thoughts. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Dankhank on August 28, 2003 at 13:50:32 PT: Schwag? I got my handle from the Rainbow Family by way of a fellow named Rings who at the time had about 20 piercings.HE's still got the piercings but has pulled the rings and now goes by Logan.The naming happened when I smoked out the welcome drum circle in Niederland area of Colorado in 1995 while visiting my son at an impromptu rainbow gathering.I first heard "Dank" and "Schwag" used by a kid from the west coast who enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame when David Letterman debuted his new show. This was back when Dave roamed Times Square and gave 15 minutes of fame to Sirijul and Muhjebar(sp), who ran the souvenir shop by NBC and other local businesses.The kid whose name escapes me ranked various things for Dave using Dank as good and Schwag as bad.I know no more hemp n stuff [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on August 28, 2003 at 13:36:50 PT Related Article from The AP Professor Asks To Grow Marijuana On College CampusUMass May Become 2nd U.S. Legal Marijuana Grower For ResearchAugust 28, 2003AMHERST, Mass. -- A University of Massachusetts professor wants permission to grow high-potency marijuana on campus for medical research. If the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Food and Drug Administration approve the request, UMass would join the University of Mississippi as the only legal grower of marijuana for research, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported Thursday. "My current thought is that there has not been sufficient testing to tell whether this is a drug that can help people or not," said professor Lyle Craker, director of the UMass medicinal plant program. "If I look at this as a potential medicinal plant, than it is our responsibility to see that this plant material is investigated, so that the questions of whether it has medical significance or not can be answered," Craker said. The DEA has set a Sept. 22 deadline for feedback before it rules on the proposal. Craker submitted his request to the DEA in June 2001 for permission to grow 25 pounds of high-potency marijuana to treat AIDS symptoms, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, as well as to alleviate pain and chemotherapy side effects. Craker said DEA officials visited the UMass-Amherst campus in December to review his application. The project has support from U.S. Reps. John Olver, Barney Frank, James McGovern, William Delahunt and Michael Capuano. The five Massachusetts Democrats wrote to DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson in June 2002, urging the agency to license privately funded sources of marijuana. In response to Frank's letter, Hutchinson argued that the University of Mississippi produces an adequate supply of research-grade marijuana for the United States. The school has supplied the National Institute on Drug Abuse with marijuana for 30 years. Craker proposes to grow a more potent grade with funding from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a Florida-based nonprofit research and educational organization that seeks to develop marijuana as an FDA-approved prescription medication.Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by E_Johnson on August 28, 2003 at 11:40:35 PT Where does the word "Schwag" come from? Does anyone know how we came to use this word? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on August 28, 2003 at 11:37:14 PT The Volcano vastly improves schwag The bad taste of schwag comes from burning it. I tried vaporizing some old schwag in my Volcano and it gave a sweet cannabinoid vapor with only the tiniest hint of Mexican truck tire in the flavor. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 28, 2003 at 10:51:16 PT pokesmotter Good to see you. I hope you have a good year at College. We watched people talking about how it was to be in Animal House last night on the news and I sure hope college can be as much fun in this day and age as it was back in 78!http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/NationalLampoonsAnimalHouse-1014752/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by pokesmotter on August 28, 2003 at 10:45:50 PT: hi all well i have read the news lately but this has been my first post in a while. i am back at college now so i have more time to cruise the net. good news is abundant here lately...i love it.on another note: dry times in central IL...i havent seen any good bud in a long time... its hard smoking schwag :( [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 28, 2003 at 10:33:10 PT I Sure Hope This Happens! It would be GREAT! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment