New guidelines unduly burden researchers and will prevent medical marijuana research from moving ahead as expeditiously as possible, says a large coalition of medical groups, scientists and other concerned citizens that is critical of the new guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS).
The coalition says that the new guidelines require extra levels of protocol review for marijuana research that are not expected of other pharmaceutical research.
They also object to the government's refusal to open a compassionate use program for patients to get immediate legal access to medical marijuana, even though it was recommended by the National Institute of Medicine's March 1999 report.
I cant see what objection there could possibly be to legitimate researchers doing research with any drug or molecule. This is how we progress and discover things that benefit us.
For example, look at the benefits weve derived from morphine, which is an abusable drug.
Ive talked about the potential benefits from medical marijuana research, particularly for people in pain or who want to control nausea during cancer treatments. And the evidence is mounting that it has real potential for medicinal uses.
The Clinton administration can still modify these guidelines and a petition signed by a large number of organizations and individuals is urging it to do so. The coalition says if the Federal government doesn't change these guidelines, they will work on the state level to pass favorable medical marijuana laws.
Its time lawmakers stop playing politics with marijuana and wake up to the fact that it is a legitimate subject of scientific research.