Federal Marijuana Monopoly Challenged

[Thom Little]

For decades, the federal government has been the nation's only legal producer of marijuana for medical research. Working with growers at the University of Mississippi, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has controlled both the quality and distribution of the drug for the past 36 years.

But for the first time the government's monopoly on research marijuana is under serious legal challenge. The effort is being spearheaded by a group that wants to produce medicines from currently illegal psychedelic drugs and by a professor at the University of Massachusetts who has agreed to grow marijuana for it if the government lets him.

In a hearing due to start today before an administrative law judge at the Drug Enforcement Administration, professor Lyle Craker and his supporters will argue for a DEA license to grow the research drugs. It is the climax of a decades-long effort to expand research into marijuana and controlled drugs and of Craker's almost five-year effort to become a competing marijuana grower.

"Our work is focused on finding medicinal uses of plants, and marijuana is one with clear potential," said Craker, director of the medicinal plant program of the university's Department of Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences in Amherst, Mass., and editor of the Journal of Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants. "There's only one government-approved source of marijuana for scientific research in this country, and that just isn't adequate."



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/11/AR2005121100825.html

[alkaline9]

1. sounds like a good first step toward a bigger goal! ...nt

[Webster Green]

2. There is NO chance this will happen...

I wholly support it, and props to them for trying, but the fascists that be will never allow any legitimate research into cannabis.

Never!

Pot, and pot users comprise one of their all time favorite distractions from what they are really up to. They get to lock up thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens, and get revenge on the "hippies" for that fucking "summer of love", and the '60s.

They also need to make sure we never get to take advantage of all the uses for the hemp plant, as it would cut into the inflated profits they take from exploiting our non-renewable resources.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. "Fucking" summer of love indeed.

[Webster Green]

4. Yes, we kind of hi-jacked the sixties............heh, heh!

Yee-ha!:D }( :P B-) :hippie: :evilgrin: :toast: :smoke: :party: O8) :+ :silly: :think:

[Sgent]

5. There's not a shortage of research MJ

In fact, U. Miss hasn't even grown any in the last 2-3 years.

The problem is:

1) The DEA won't approve any drug studies (approval is needed to purchase the MJ) other than those that support their existing position.

2) The DEA won't allow multiple grades and delivery forms.

I don't see how opening a new farm will help either of the above.