cannabisnews.com: Local MJ Debate Centers on Research & Safety Issue





Local MJ Debate Centers on Research & Safety Issue
Posted by FoM on April 11, 2000 at 14:08:20 PT
By Maylon T. Rice, Staff Writer
Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
The real “Catch-22” in legalizing marijuana to be used for medical purposes is a lack of scientific research proving its medicinal benefits and safety, those on both sides of the issue said Monday.   Arkansas voters are expected to consider a constitutional amendment in November which would allow marijuana to be used as medicine. 
Under the provisions of the amendment, local physicians would be allowed to prescribe the currently controlled drug to those with debilitating illnesses.   Monday’s debate, however, did not focus on the state initiative. Instead, discussion focused on the lack of research data available regarding the substance.   “Marijuana is not classified as a medicine,” said Dr. Richard Nugent of the Arkansas Health Department. “To talk about marijuana as a medicine without all the scientific data being known, is a little early in the (approval) process for the government.   “We do not have the safety factor settled by research,” Nugent said of the state Health Department.   Kyle Russell, a Fayetteville alderman and third-year University of Arkansas law student, who opposed Nugent during the debate, countered, “We need more information, I couldn’t agree more. But part of the reason there is not much research is that the federal government — who controls the federal government supply of legal marijuana — won’t give permission for studies and release the marijuana for the studies.”   The debate, sponsored by the Federalist Society at the University of Arkansas School of Law was held in the courtroom of Leflar Law Center and drew between 40-50 people to the 75-minute discussion.   The debate was between Russell and Nugent and some pre-debate commentary was led by A.J. Gokeck, the president of the Arkansas Federalist Society.   Nugent, a physician and seven-year veteran of the Health Department, whose primary responsibility has been in maternal child health, read a statement from the Health Department.   “The ADH agrees with the written recommendations of the Institute of Medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and an expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health, that smoking marijuana should not be legalized.”   In the statement Nugent said “the Arkansas Health Department recognizes that thoughtful scientists who have studied this question have expressed a wide range of opinions.”   Russell said the American Medical Association currently does not have a position on medical marijuana. He said what is needed, “is to change a national drug policy of enforcement into a national health policy for those who need the substance for relief of pain, nausea and the affects of chemotherapy.”   Nugent noted that even if scientific research is under way the results of that research might be years before the substance was classified as a medicine.   Tom Brown, a local resident who went to federal prison for his support for marijuana, posed several questions to the panel during the evening about the federal government’s decision to block medicinal marijuana research and other decisions which Russell called “stonewalling” on the part of the federal government.   Russell summed up the federal government’s apparent position as on one hand holding back the research by not releasing the substance for testing and with the other hand encouraging research by those wanting to test the affects of the drug. Published: April 11, 2000© 2000 Community Publishers Inc.Related Articles:Marijuana Measure OK'd For Petition http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3772.shtmlPryor OKs Ballot Title For Proposal On Marijuanahttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread3112.shtmlPryor Mulls 2 Proposals Making MMJ Legalhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2985.shtml 
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Comment #2 posted by zzzz on April 12, 2000 at 14:45:19 PT
spelling
that's Pundit,4d
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Comment #1 posted by dddd on April 12, 2000 at 00:45:50 PT
Here we go again
 One of the most common and ridiculous things used by anti MMJ pundants,is the cheap and stupid concept,which says that there has been insufficient research on the subject. I look forward to the day they are on their deathbeds,starving because they keep barfing up their food and medication,or are wracked by muscle spasms,,etc. There have been many people who changed their point of view when they,or someone they love,became ill,and benifitted from MMJ.My Mom died from cancer,mainly because she couldnt keep food or medication down.She refused to try marijuana because it was "illegal".At the end we convinced her to try the synthetic drug Marinol,but this is nowhere near organic marijuana. I have a theory,that it is not just the THC in marijuana that is benificial.There are numerous other "cannibiods",or whatever in marijuana that do things that are not understood.I can tell you why they are not understood,it's because serious research has been impeded by a lame government,and big money influences of pharmaceutical firms,and other special interest lobbies. I'm still disgusted.............dddd
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