Part of the Catch-22 in the U.S. federal government’s “discussion” regarding marijuana legalization, is that the government continues to cite a lack of scientific evidence that marijuana has any benefits while simultaneously blocking research.
Ignoring the anecdotal data coming out of the 20 states and Washington, D.C., on how medicinal marijuana has transformed the lives of many Americans living with a variety of medical conditions, from glaucoma to Dravet syndrome to post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as empirical data from researchers outside of the United States, the feds continue to argue in their pro-prohibition argument that there is no proof that marijuana has any redeeming value.
U.S.-based researchers have asked the federal government for permission to conduct research on the drug so that the legalization debate can proceed on a national level, but the federal government has been hesitant to approve any research that hints at concluding that marijuana is less than harmful, prompting some to accuse the U.S. government of intentionally choosing to not fund pro-marijuana research.
Though the official stance of the U.S. government is that marijuana is one of the world’s most harmful drugs, the feds actually have their own supply of marijuana, which is grown and cared for at the University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus. Under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs policy, the U.S. agreed to prohibit the use of marijuana, but the federal government is allowed to be the sole legal supplier of the drug.
Using taxpayer dollars to research and grow about 13 pounds of marijuana each year in a 12-acre garden, some of the federal government’s supply of marijuana is actually rolled into marijuana cigarettes, or joints, and given out to four individuals who were grandfathered into the federal government’s own medical marijuana program. So while the feds continue to arrest more than 2,000 people per day on minor marijuana-related charges, they are also supplying more than 300 pre-rolled joints a month to four Americans.
The remaining marijuana plants are used for research purposes by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
While it’s a loaded and seemingly harsh claim to say the government has intentionally doled out marijuana to only those researchers wanting to determine the harms linked to the drug and not its benefits, it’s a perspective even some federal officials can’t argue is completely inaccurate.
“We’ve been studying marijuana since our inception,” said Steven Gust, special assistant to the director at the NIDA. “Of course, the large majority of that research has been on the deleterious effects, the harmful effects, on cognition, behavior and so forth.”
Gust took issue with the accusation that the federal government was intentionally blocking pro-marijuana research, and said his agency is open to approving research regarding marijuana’s medicinal benefits.
“This is an untruth that’s been put out there by certain groups, and quite frankly I wonder if it’s not having the perverse effect of actually decreasing the amount of applications and interest in research,” Gust said.
As recently as February, the federal government blocked research examining whether marijuana’s healing properties could benefit those suffering from PTSD. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the University of Arizona Institutional Review Board had already approved the study, the U.S. Public Health Service refused to let researchers purchase marijuana legally from the government.
Unfortunately, not being able to buy marijuana is an obstacle researchers have encountered often, since marijuana is the only drug in the U.S. that has to be reviewed by the PHS before research can occur. The reason? The NIDA “has a Drug Enforcement Administration-protected monopoly” on the supply of marijuana that can be used legally in FDA-regulated research.
In other words, although the government has a supply of marijuana that has been specifically set aside for research purposes, both the NIDA and DEA require that extra review be given to those who are requesting to study marijuana and its effects — a mandate that is not required for any other drug, including those that, like marijuana, have been classified as a Schedule I substance such as MDMA, LSD or psilocybin.
As a result, many legalization advocates such as Dan Riffle, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana advocacy group in the U.S., have called for President Barack Obama to end NIDA’s marijuana monopoly and remove all other research barriers.
Riffle explained that since marijuana legalization “is inevitable,” more studies are needed. “That is exactly why federal law and policies shouldn’t tie the hands of scientists by favoring certain kinds of research over others,” Riffle said.
It appears the feds agree, at least partially. Gust said officials approved 69 marijuana-related research projects in 2012, compared to 22 in 2003, and NIDA has funded at least five research projects that specifically looked at the medicinal value of marijuana. He didn’t share any specific details of the studies.
Gust also stressed that the feds decided on March 17 to approve the once-blocked PTSD study. However, Riffle responded by saying, “It’s just one study,” before adding, “Still, it’s nice to see, if only this once, politics no longer standing in the way of science.”
Part of the catch-22 when it comes to the U.S. federal government’s “discussion” regarding marijuana legalization, is that the government continues to cite a lack of scientific evidence that marijuana does any good at all.
Ignoring the anecdotal data coming out of the 20 states and Washington, D.C. with how medicinal marijuana has transformed the lives of many Americans living with a variety of medical conditions, from glaucoma to Dravet syndrome to post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as empirical data from researchers outside of the U.S., the feds continue to argue in their pro-prohibition argument that there is no proof marijuana has any redeeming values.
U.S.-based researchers have asked the federal government for permission to conduct research on the drug so that the legalization debate can proceed on a national level, but the feds have been less than willing to approve any research that hints at concluding marijuana is less than harmful, prompting some to accuse the U.S. government of intentionally choosing to not fund pro-marijuana research.
Though the official stance of the U.S. government is that marijuana is one of the most harmful drugs in the world, the feds actually have their own supply of marijuana, which is grown and cared for at the University of Mississippi’s Oxford campus. Under the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs policy, the U.S. agreed to prohibit use of marijuana, but it is allowed to be the sole legal supplier of the drug.
Using taxpayer dollars to research and grow about 13 pounds of marijuana each year in a 12-acre garden, some of the feds own supply of marijuana is actually rolled into marijuana cigarettes, or joints, and is given out to four individuals who were grandfathered into the feds own medical marijuana program. So while the feds continue to arrest more than 2,000 people per day on minor marijuana-related charges they are also supplying more than 300 pre-rolled joints a month to four Americans.
The remaining marijuana plants are used for research purposes by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
While it’s a loaded and seemingly harsh claim to say the government has intentionally doled out marijuana to only those researchers who wanted to find harms linked to the drug and not marijuana’s benefits, it’s a perspective even some federal officials can’t totally argue is completely inaccurate.
“We’ve been studying marijuana since our inception,” said Steven Gust, special assistant to the director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Of course, the large majority of that research has been on the deleterious effects, the harmful effects, on cognition, behavior and so forth.”
Gust took issue with the accusation that the federal government was intentionally blocking pro-marijuana research, and said his agency is open to approving research regarding marijuana’s medicinal benefits.
“This is an untruth that’s been put out there by certain groups, and quite frankly I wonder if it’s not having the perverse effect of actually decreasing the amount of applications and interest in research,” Gust said.
As recent as this past February, the federal government blocked research examining whether marijuana’s healing properties could benefit those suffering from PTSD. Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the University of Arizona Institutional Review Board had already approved the study, the U.S. Public Health Service refused to let researchers buy marijuana legally from the government.
Unfortunately not being able to buy marijuana is an obstacle researchers have encountered often, since marijuana is the only drug in the United States that has to be reviewed by the PHS before research can occur. The reason? The National Institute on Drug Abuse “has a Drug Enforcement Administration-protected monopoly” on the supply of marijuana that can be legally used in FDA-regulated research.
In other words, although the government has a supply of marijuana that has been specifically set aside for research purposes, both the NIDA and DEA require that extra review be given to those who are requesting to study marijuana and its effects — a mandate that is not required for any other drug, including those that, like marijuana, have been classified as a Schedule I substance such as MDMA, LSD or psilocybin.
As a result, many legalization advocates such as Dan Riffle, director of federal policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, the largest marijuana advocacy group in the U.S., have called for President Barack Obama to end NIDA’s marijuana monopoly and remove all other research barriers.
Riffle explained that since marijuana legalization “is inevitable,” more studies are needed. “That is exactly why federal law and policies shouldn’t tie the hands of scientists by favoring certain kinds of research over others,” Riffle said.
It appears the feds agree, at least partially. Gust said officials approved 69 marijuana-related research projects in 2012 compared to 22 in 2003, and that NIDA has funded at least five research projects that specifically looked at the medicinal value of marijuana, but he didn’t share any specific details of the studies.
Gust also stressed that the feds did recently decided on March 17 to approve the once-blocked PTSD study. However Riffle responded by saying “It’s just one study,” before adding, “Still, it’s nice to see, if only this once, politics no longer standing in the way of science.”