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Medical marijuana hearings begin
Brendan Coyne | The NewStandard | 8/23/2005

A hearing into a challenge to federal laws prohibiting research and experimentation with marijuana opened today, with the American Civil Liberties Union charging that the Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts to fight such privately-funded research posed an unnecessary obstruction that could prevent researchers from definitively finding out whether the plant has legitimate medical uses.

The proceedings cap a four-year battle by a University of Massachusetts professor seeking to grow marijuana for research into the prohibited plant’s medicinal uses. Through its Drug Law Reform Project, the ACLU is representing the plant researcher, Lyle E. Craker, in front of a Department of Justice administrative law judge who will make recommendations to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Craker, who heads the Medicinal Plant Program at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst is fighting a 2004 DEA final denial of his request for a permit to grow marijuana for research. He first sought approval in 2001, according to pre-hearing papers.

Currently all marijuana used for research must come from a Mississippi farm contracted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The DEA has said no more sources for research plants are needed.

Proponents of Craker’s proposal have said that supply from Mississippi has been inconsistent and the potency of the drug questionable.

In addition, DEA officials expressed concern that the professor’s growing operation would lack proper supervision to prevent misuse or theft of the plants.

Craker, the ACLU and medical marijuana research supporters claim the federal restrictions prevent independent research, stifling scientific and medical inquiry. They have also pointed out that by preventing study on the medicinal benefits of the plant, the DEA has "slammed the door" on efforts to gain approval of the drug from the Food and Drug Administration.

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BC.Buddy

On the one hand, they don't want another grow op for pretty obvious reasons I suppose.

On the other hand; WTF?!

I didn't know they prohibited private research in the U.S.!

If it's over turned, is this progress towards legalization?

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Lothar121

I find this effort extremely interesting. I have probably spent 5+ hours reading the first bits of oral testimony the last three days. This is an important effort, I mean we are talking about making marijuana a prescription drug approved by the FDA!

Check out the ACLU site dedicated to the effort:

http://www.aclu.org/medicalmarijuana/

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BC.Buddy

Great article. I hope he's successful. If the system isn't too corrupt / ridiculous, he should do well.

Once the medical benefits are indisputable, as I'm sure they will be soon enough in the U.S., do you think they'll lower the Schedule status of the drug? They will have to admit it does have medical applications and stop classifying it as bad as heroin?

Perhaps that will be a vital turning point for the legalization effort.

Also, when did we ever say the drug is harmless. It seems prohibitionists keep getting caught up in the futile argument that it's not harmless. It matters not whether it's harmful health wise or it isn't, there's much, much worse available without prescription right now.

Does that make it a valid argument? Maybe not. But I think adults should have the right to choose what to medicate themselves with or what to alter their conscience with. Then there's the argument of how much money is generated by pharmaceutical companies, I wonder if they have a hand in the politics of this drug issue.

Lothar121

If it made it through FDA trials I believe they will have to reschedule the drug. Keep in mind that even if the ACLU wins this suit, the trials will take years to complete. This is an exciting development though.

Without the secure supply, nobody, not even MAPS will bother trying to get it through the process. The supply that the government gives through their licensed university is not consistent. What organization in their right mind would try to get marijuana through FDA trials without having at least some control over their source? And with that, everything rests on this trial, it's all or nothing.

On the ACLU site I linked above, there is oral testimony that is extremely interesting, although it's an extremely long read.

Also please try to get involved in a separate effort to reschedule, the petition itself. You can sign the petition and get involved here:
http://www.safeaccessnow.org/article...=type&type=133

 

Tokamak

This is definately a positive step towards legalization. I've always heard that the stuff NIDA supplies to researchers is pretty much ditchweed (I wouldn't doubt that its laced with toxins too...). If we win this case, researchers can finally test the best strains available. They'll be able to show that a little bit of quality bud in a vaporizer can provide the safe medicinal effects that a whole bale of NIDA grown shwag INGESTED wouldn't produce.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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BC.Buddy

*Pushes Tokamak over, sits next to him and crosses his fingers*

Me too.

CheebaMonkey

MAPS also has good info on this topic, especially the timeline.

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Lothar121

I've been very impressed with maps lately, both their goals and the way the organization is going about accomplishing them. I think cannabis has a real shot of making it through FDA trials if they get to that point.

Higher Logic

The FDA is going to be tough to deal with, they basically sleep in Big Pharma's bed...

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