cannabisnews.com: U.S. Medical Pot Rules Must Bend U.S. Medical Pot Rules Must Bend Posted by FoM on April 02, 2001 at 08:18:54 PT Commentary Source: Los Angeles Times With the Supreme Court apparently poised to rule that federal law strictly forbids voters, judges and local officials to sanction the medical use of marijuana, the dilemma of how to respond to citizen initiatives supporting such use in California and seven other states is now back in the hands of those who created the problem: Congress and the Food and Drug Administration. That gives both legislators and the Bush administration a chance to do what should have been done years ago--move marijuana from Schedule 1, the outlaw category for dangerous drugs devoid of any possible medicinal value, to at least Schedule 2, the classification for potentially addictive drugs like morphine and cocaine that nevertheless have some potential medicinal value. When Congress ordered the FDA to classify marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, its intent was clear. It meant to put a lid on the pot culture that was then thought to be demoralizing the nation. Now the agency's blanket prohibition is looking increasingly arbitrary, political and unscientific. Marijuana's medical benefits have been described by people ranging from the 1st century Greek physician Dioscorides, who prescribed cannabis to treat gout, to former President Ronald Reagan's political director, Lynn Nofziger, who told reporters last week that marijuana was the only drug he could find to help his daughter control the vomiting and diarrhea she suffered during cancer treatment. Since 1998, medical authorities including the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences have documented marijuana's unique ability to relieve both intractable pain and nausea. Federal authorities like former anti-drug czar Barry McCaffrey have rightly pointed out that laws sanctioning marijuana use like California's Proposition 215, passed in 1996, are worded in carelessly sweeping ways that could encourage recreational use. The government's continued insistence on keeping marijuana in Schedule 1, however, will only undermine the credibility of federal drug laws. By contrast, moving marijuana to Schedule 2 would allow the FDA to strictly regulate and oversee any medical use of the drug. Marijuana is not the harmless drug that some of its supporters imply it is: People who smoke it ingest more harmful tar than do cigarette smokers, for instance. But it has significant medical value, unlike tobacco, an addictive and toxic drug the FDA doesn't even bother to regulate. The administration--which only last week scolded Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson for suggesting that the FDA should regulate tobacco as a drug--is surely not eager to go easy on marijuana. Nevertheless, with a clear majority of voters supporting some limited medical uses, the administration will have a hard time dodging the ball the Supreme Court is likely to throw it. Source: Los Angeles Times (CA) Published: April 2, 2001Copyright: 2001 Los Angeles Times Contact: letters latimes.com Website: http://www.latimes.com/ New England Journal of Medicinehttp://www.nejm.org/content/index.aspNational Academy of Scienceshttp://nationalacademies.org/nas/nashome.nsfCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on April 03, 2001 at 23:14:18 PT: News Brief From The Associated Press San Mateo Launches Federally Approved Study of Medical Marijuana Source: Associated PressPublished: Tuesday, April 3, 2001 Copyright: 2001 Associated Press (04-03) 18:26 PDT SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- The first federally approved-study to determine whether medical marijuana is an effective drug to control pain associated with AIDS was launched Tuesday by San Mateo County Health Center officials. Participants must have used marijuana before and be willing to keep a detailed log of their drug use -- prescribed and recreational -- for the duration of the study, according to Dr. Dennis Israelski, chief of infectious diseases and AIDS medicine at the center. Staff have already begun looking for 60 participants among the Center's patients. Participants must be HIV-positive and suffer from neuropathy, which is pain in the limbs. In November the federal government authorized the use of marijuana confiscated by law enforcement to be transferred to the hospital for the study. Participants will receive 15 cigarettes over a prescribed time from the hospital pharmacy, which has been fitted with a special refrigeration unit secure the drug and maintain a consistent quality. My Medical Marijuana Page [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by dddd on April 02, 2001 at 12:43:09 PT situation One thing for sure,,,I'll bet you there's alot of debate goingon behind the doors of government.One side says,"if we keepon arrogantly ignoring the will of the voters in these states,alotof people are going to get really pissed off."....this is counteredwith;..."if we ease up on marijuana,even a little bit,then the drugcompanies will be very upset,and before long,states will start toallow farming of hemp."The feds have woven a tangled web.They are in somewhat of acorner.It will not be easy for them to worm their way out of thisfor much longer.The "War on drugs",will go on for years to come,but the prohibition of Marijuana is doomed........dddd [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on April 02, 2001 at 08:51:13 PT: Nice Suggestion, but--- I would love to see cannabis in Schedule II. It would make my professional life a lot more pleasant, as well as making necessary medicine available to millions in need.However, cannabis does not qualify for Schedule II status. Marinol (synthetic THC) was moved from Schedule II to III, and there is no rationale whatever for keeping cannabis to a lower number. I suppose that putting THC in a little seseame oil at a fabulous price makes it somehow more effective as well as legitimate. See arguments on the subject at length by Jon Gettman in JCANT 1(1). Actually, cannabis is an herbal prepartion, and should be grandfathered in, as it was in common usage medically before 1937. It would be subject to the 1992 DSHEA laws, and thus, the FDA could not step in unless there was a proven medical danger with a specific product. The criteria necessary to remove such a product from the market would not likely be met without significant fudging, prevaricating and propaganda. The current government strategy is to squelch debate, and declare that Congress already addressed this issue(Controlled Substances Act, 1970), and ignore the lack of any scientific justification for their treachery. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: