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U.S. puts brake on 'pot' studies
Like, Bush is stepping on like, science, man! And, oh yeah, science, man...he's holding back, like, science!AMHERST - Lyle E. Craker's plans to grow marijuana in his University of Massachusetts laboratory to be used for medicinal studies have been put on indefinite hold by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Another proud alma mater moment... Craker filed an application with DEA in June 2001 to establish a facility on the Amherst campus to produce marijuana for U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved research. A more appropriate place, I cannot think of... Last July, he and two other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit demanding that the DEA respond to his request. Like, c'mon, government Doods! Can we like start our dope farms, man! On Friday, he got his answer in a six-page "order to show cause" from the DEA denying his request. Doods, like, it's for important scientific... stuff. "What we're attempting to do is to test this plant to see if it actually has any clinical benefit," said Craker, director of the medicinal plant program and member of the department of plant, soil, and insect sciences at UMass, yesterday. "Many people may be suffering from medical problems who we may be able to help." It may take hundreds of years of research and we'll have a willing student body to... ummmmmmm... assist us in our...ummmmmm... research. He said he plans to seek a hearing at which he will show cause why the DEA should not deny his application. Under his plan, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies would fund the UMass cultivation. WOO-HOO!!! We called it "the dorms" when I was up there. The association and Craker were plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in July. Currently, the National Institute on Drug Abuse is the only agency allowed to oversee the cultivation of research-grade marijuana on behalf of the government. But many scientists have questioned the quality and quantity of the marijuana produced at the University of Mississippi for the institute. Enter "the professionals" from UMASS Amherst. They can solve any and all of your weed problems. In its order, the DEA said it found that the laboratory is producing a "sufficient quantity and quality" of marijuana to meet research needs. No problem. No problem at all. All you want, when you want. If we can't grow it, we know where to find it. "What this decision does is effectively close the doors on any foreseeable prospect of the Federal Drug Administration considering marijuana as medicine," said Bruce E. Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project based in Washington, D.C. ...and has set back bong technology for... who knows how long. The order also says that an additional facility is not needed because marijuana research has not progressed to Phase 2 of clinical trials because "current research must utilize smoked marijuana, which ultimately cannot be the permitted delivery system for any potential marijuana medication due to the deleterious effects and the difficulty in monitoring the efficaciousness of smoked marijuana." Like, this weed is "efficacious", man. And I know Phase 2 has started yet, but could we put our names in early? Rick E. Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, said the DEA is performing Phase 2 trials with marijuana. Oh, damn! We missed it, dood! We missed it! He said his group wants to study the medicinal benefits of marijuana in two forms, smoked and by vaporizer. "We want to develop marijuana into a prescription medicine, or have research that says it's too risky," Doblin said. "Our broader goal is to say we have a public health issue that is being addressed as a criminal justice issue." I'll take that risk, man! I'll be the Christopher Columbus of dope! The DEA would not comment on the order to show cause, and said Craker has 30 days from receipt of the letter in which to respond and have a hearing date scheduled. Like 30 days? Better write it down and put it on your fridge so you don't forget, doc... Posted by: tu3031 2004-12-15 |
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