Up In Smoke: Researchers Discouraged from Studying Medical Marijuana

A recent New York Times article revealed that even as the Obama administration takes a more liberal stance on state medical marijuana laws, the federal government continues to discourage research into the medicinal uses of smoked marijuana.

According to the article, marijuana is the only major drug for which the federal government controls the only legal research supply and for which the government requires a special scientific review.

If researchers wish to study the medicinal effects of marijuana, they must apply to the National Institute on Drug Abuse to use stores from the nation's only federally approved marijuana plantation, located at the University of Mississippi.

However, federal officials have repeatedly failed to act on marijuana research requests in a timely manner, or they have flat-out denied them. This frustrates researchers, who point to studies that demonstrate convincingly that marijuana can relieve nausea and improve appetite among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Studies have also shown that marijuana can alleviate the aching and numbness suffered by patients with HIV and AIDS. There are also strong indications that marijuana might aleviate some of the neurological problems associated with degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

However, there is no solid evidence that marijuana needs to be smoked in order for patients to achieve these results. In 1985, the FDA approved Marinol, a prescription pill form of marijuana's active ingredient, THC.

As a result of federal officials' reluctance to approve marijuana research, there's not a lot of good science underlying its use - but that doesn't stop some patients from swearing by it.