DEA Judge Calls for Government to End Obstruction of Medical Marijuana Research

[Doondoo]

The American Civil Liberties Union applauded a ruling issued by a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration judge that recommends ending the federal government’s sixty-five year monopoly on the supply of marijuana available for Food and Drug Administration-approved medical research.

The ACLU represents University of Massachusetts-Amherst Professor Lyle Craker, who petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for a license to grow research-grade marijuana for use in privately-funded studies that aim to develop the plant into a legal, prescription medicine. The DEA judge ruled that it is in the public interest to end the federal National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) monopoly on the supply of marijuana that can be used in Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved research.

"For too long the DEA has inappropriately inserted politics into a regulatory process that should be left to the FDA and medical science," said Allen Hopper, an attorney with the ACLU Drug Law Reform Project. "We are pleased that the judge has recommended an end to the federal government’s blockade of medical marijuana research."

The DEA must now either accept or reject the court’s recommendation, and scientists, doctors and medical marijuana patients nationwide joined the ACLU in urging the agency to comply with the court’s finding and halt federal obstruction of medical marijuana research.

"This ruling is a victory for science, medicine and the public good," said Professor Craker. "I hope that the DEA abides by the decision and allows the work to go forward unimpeded by drug war politics."



http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/medmarijuana/28344prs20070213.html

[AtomicKitten]

1. The federal government needs to stop

intervening in states where voters have approved medical marijuana.

[Ignacio Upton]

4. Apparently, they've never heard of state's rights?

n/t.

[AtomicKitten]

6. Only when it works for them, doncha know?

Their intervention in the 2000 election in Florida was epic BS. Effin hypocrites.

[aquart]

2. Yes, please.

[Doondoo]

3. bump

[gulfcoastliberal]

5. My dad conducted human studies of marijuana back in the 70s

He said it was easier then. He studies sleep and his paper with the results showed a mild increase in delta wave activity sleep (stage 4 - the deepest). Don't be fooled-stage 4 sleep ismuch more regenerative than REM. All current sleep hypnotics (ambien, lunesta, etc)-all significantly rob sleep of stage 3 and 4 sleep.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. I'd feel better if I didn't know that it's the pharmas who are going to

take the lead on the research. I'd settle for giving the public a fair shake wherever government money is involved.

[sutz12]

8. Wow.....sanity. Who'd a thunk it..

I'm sure W will issue an immediate executive order squelching this one.

[intheflow]

9. Marijuana reform out of Amherst?

Who'd have thought it? :rofl:

(OK, that was an inside joke to myself. I smoked a lot o' weed in Amherst back in the day. :smoke: )

[oasis]

10. kick

[sofa king]

11. I wonder what Monsanto has to say about that.

There are rumors that Monsanto has a genetically engineered strain of hemp that would be ideal for cornering the market on medical marijuana--if they were allowed to patent it.

[alittlelark]

12. 'bout time.

[Mabus]

13. I'd like them to also end the gov't obstruction for citizen experiments too

:evilgrin:

[appal_jack]

14. indeed

I recommend a widely-distributed, participant-observation-based, multi-year qualitative study, with materials and data distributed via a peer-to-peer network.

Sounds fund-able, don't it?

:evilgrin: :smoke: :smoke: :evilgrin:

-app

[Mabus]

15. I think it could not only be self-funding

but it would actually reap some hefty profits.

[tom_paine]

16. Yeah, like the Busheviks are going to abide by the ruling of some judge

Sure, when pigs fly.