cannabisnews.com: 30 Members Of Congress Demand Access To Research
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30 Members Of Congress Demand Access To Research
Posted by CN Staff on June 18, 2014 at 16:01:43 PT
By Matt Ferner, The Huffington Post
Source: Huffington Post
Washington, D.C. -- Thirty members of Congress, led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Tuesday demanding an end to the federal monopoly on marijuana research so that more studies can be done by scientists around the nation."We write to express our support for increasing scientific research on the therapeutic risks and benefits of marijuana," the letter reads. "We ask that you take measures to ensure that any non-National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded researcher who has acquired necessary Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institutional Review Board (IRB), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and appropriate state and local authority approval be able to access marijuana for research at-cost without further review."
The letter comes about two weeks after the House voted to block the Drug Enforcement Administration from using funds to go after medical marijuana operations that are legal under state laws, a measure that Rohrabacher sponsored.And just last week, a scathing joint report from the Drug Policy Alliance and and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies blasted the DEA, arguing that the agency has repeatedly failed to act in a timely fashion when faced with petitions to reschedule marijuana.The drug is currently illegal under federal law, and remains classified as a Schedule I substance, a designation the DEA reserves for the "most dangerous" drugs with "no currently accepted medical use." Schedule I drugs, which include substances like heroin and LSD, cannot receive federal funding for research. On three separate occasions -- in 1973, 1995 and 2002 -- the DEA took years to make a final decision about a rescheduling petition, and in two of those cases the DEA was sued multiple times to force a decision.Last week's report criticized the DEA for overruling its own officials charged with determining how illicit substances should be scheduled. It also accused the agency of creating a "regulatory Catch-22" by arguing there is not enough scientific evidence to support rescheduling marijuana -- while simultaneously impeding the research that would produce such evidence."Two weeks ago, we took a very important vote in the House to stop the DEA from interfering in states' medical marijuana programs," Blumenauer said in a statement Tuesday. "Now we need the Administration to stop targeting marijuana above and beyond other drugs when it comes to research. By increasing access for scientists who are conducting studies, we end the Catch-22 of opponents claiming they can't support medical marijuana because there's not enough research, but blocking research because they don't support medical marijuana."The U.S. government grows marijuana for research purposes at the University of Mississippi in the only federally legal marijuana garden in the U.S. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) oversees the cultivation, production and distribution of these crops -- a process through which the only federally-sanctioned marijuana studies are approved.Federal authorities have long been accused of only funding marijuana research that focuses on the potential negative effects of the drug. Since 2003, more than 500 grants for marijuana-related studies have received federal approval, with a marked upswing in recent years, according to McClatchy. Only 22 grants were approved in 2003 for cannabis research, totaling $6 million, but in 2012, 69 grants were approved for a total of over $30 million.Despite these numbers, NIDA has reportedly conducted only about 30 studies to date on the potential benefits of marijuana, according to The Hill.Currently, 22 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use. Eight other states -- Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin -- have legalized CBD oil, a non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that is frequently used to treat epilepsy, for limited medical use or for research purposes.A number of studies in recent years have shown the medical potential of cannabis. Purified forms may attack some forms of aggressive cancer. Marijuana use has also been tied to better blood sugar control and may help slow the spread of HIV. One study found that legalization of the plant for medical purposes may even lead to lower suicide rates.Read the full letter below:Dear Secretary Burwell,We write to express our support for increasing scientific research on the therapeutic risks and benefits of marijuana. We ask that you take measures to ensure that any non-National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded researcher who has acquired necessary Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institutional Review Board (IRB), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and appropriate state and local authority approval be able to access marijuana for research at-cost without further review.Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia have passed laws allowing for the use of medical marijuana. Over one million Americans currently use medical marijuana at the recommendation of their physician. There is overwhelming anecdotal evidence from patients, their family members, and their doctors of the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for those suffering from cancer, epilepsy, seizures, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, glaucoma, anxiety, chronic pain, and more.We believe the widespread use of medical marijuana should necessitate research into what specific relief it offers and how it can best be delivered for different people and different conditions. Yet, the scientific research clearly documenting these benefits has often been hampered by federal barriers.Researchers seeking to develop prescription drugs in the United States must go through FDA and IRB approval processes. To conduct research using Schedule I substances such as marijuana, LSD, psilocybin and MDMA, researchers must also seek a DEA registration, as well as any required state and local licenses. The review process required to gain these approvals is robust and ensures that researchers are weighing the risks as well as the possible benefits of their potential medications.Only with marijuana, and no other Schedule I substances, is there an additional Public Health Service review for non NIH-funded protocols, established in the May 21, 1999, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "Guidance on Procedures for the Provision of Marijuana for Medical Research[1]." This review process grants access to the only source of marijuana that can be legally used for research - grown by the University of Mississippi under contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).In light of the fact that substances like opioids and barbiturates have been researched and developed for human use, it would seem that we should investigate the legitimate medical uses of marijuana. We request that you review and revise the HHS Guidance to eliminate what we believe to be an unnecessary additional review process. NIDA should provide marijuana at-cost to all non-NIH funded marijuana research protocols that have successfully obtained necessary FDA, DEA, IRB and appropriate state and local authority approval.Considering the number of states with medical marijuana laws and the number of patients who use marijuana medicinally in the United States, it is clear that we need more scientific information about the therapeutic risks and benefits of marijuana.Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to your response.Source: Huffington Post (NY)Author: Matt Ferner, The Huffington Post Published: June 17, 2014Copyright: 2014 HuffingtonPost.com, LLC Contact: scoop huffingtonpost.comWebsite: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/Lbayzd1WCannabisNews  Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on June 20, 2014 at 05:20:59 PT
observer
Thank you for all you have done. It's been a long hard road but the end is getting closer each day thankfully.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Hope on June 19, 2014 at 20:18:21 PT
Comment 6
He's too modest.One of the reasons we come here is to learn and I have learned a lot from Observer over the years.A lot.Thank you for that, Observer. You are one cool dude. Righteous, smart and all that good stuff.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by observer on June 19, 2014 at 14:09:26 PT
too kind!
Hope, I sure do appreciate your kind words! I think you and most everyone who comments here really have that "fire in the belly" that won't let us be silent.You're far too generous - as I am wrong, often, about lots of stuff. Many working for the government in NIDA, getting government pay-checks, will think I'm wrong about NIDA. NIDA's PR/propaganda flacks, and they be legion, will no doubt point to a NIDA charter statement - perhaps something Nixon stated for propaganda purposes when he signed NIDA into existence in 1974 - to prove me wrong on this, too. Nixon said it. I believe it. My government paycheck settles it.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by Hope on June 19, 2014 at 13:09:35 PT
Most of us here know that Observer has keen
insight into the propaganda machine, the media, the prohibs and how they operate. He is right. I assure you. He is always right. He sees them clearly. Even when, sometimes, I think a few of them really seem unable to see the evil their fears and retribution unleash.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by observer on June 19, 2014 at 12:02:31 PT
NIDA = Find Bad Things We Can Say About Pot
The "DA" in NIDA stands for "drug abuse" .. .NIDA exists to find out bad things about pot, factoids that can plausibly be used by the rest of the prohibitionist establishment to serve as propaganda against legalizing pot. That's what NIDA does.That is NIDA's mission: say bad things about pot, things which the police state can use to fool people into going along with jailing people for pot. So it is a complete no-brainer to see why NIDA does what it does, and says what it says. NIDA provides propaganda cover for the police state, when it imprisons your great-granddad for a little reefer, or just guns him down in his bed. Why, a 3:00am SWAT team for granny is right as rain, (NIDA propaganda victims bleat) because we "know" that pot causes teens to go schizo and lose their I.Q.NIDA's whole reason for existence is to make propaganda against pot to thwart marijuana legalization. To keep you in jail for smoking pot. That's NIDA in a nutshell: Say bad (but scientific-sounding) things about pot. 
http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on June 19, 2014 at 05:33:56 PT
Had Enough
I wish there wasn't a set limit on comments on a thread because that is the all time most accessed article ever on CNews. I wish Museman the best and he will never be forgotten by me either.
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Comment #2 posted by Had Enough on June 19, 2014 at 03:26:08 PT
museman
Museman...Keeper of the muse...All is not finished here...we all have trials and tribulations (payin' dues)......we still have a lot to connect left yet...however I will have to respect another's way of doing things...museman...wherever our paths come across on our journey...I will never forget you...you have little clue of how much comfort...wisdom...and plain ole truth/common sense you brought to this and to my place...Peace to you my brother...sad to see you split...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Had Enough on June 19, 2014 at 03:23:51 PT
FoM...musenan...hippy thread...
I tried to post a reply to musemans comment on the hippy thread...it said there is no more space to post a message...
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