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01-17-2017, 10:20 AM
Scientists to Government: Make It Easier to Study Marijuana
<p class="">By <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html" title="More Articles by THE EDITORIAL BOARD"><span>THE EDITORIAL BOARD</a></span>
JAN. 17, 2017
<p class="">Even as more and more states allow their residents to use marijuana, the federal government is continuing to obstruct scientists from studying whether the drug is good or bad for peoples health.
<p class="">
<p class="">A <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=24625&_ga=1.172863584.235057739.1484262362">report published last week</a> by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine points out that scientists who want to study cannabis have to seek approvals from federal, state and local agencies and depend on just one lab, at the University of Mississippi, for samples. As a result, far too little is known about the health effects of a substance that <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx">28 states</a> have decided can be used as medicine and <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/marijuana-overview.aspx">eight states and the District of Columbia</a> have approved for recreational use.
<p class="">
<p class="">The situation is so absurd, the report says, that chemists and brain researchers are not allowed to study cannabis concentrates and edibles. Yet those forms of the drug are widely used. For example, in Colorado, where voters decided to create a regulated market for marijuana in 2012, sales of concentrates reached $60.5 million in just the first three months of last year.
<p class="">
<p class="">Many of the research restrictions stem from the federal governments decision to classify marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which limits access to funding, among other burdens. The report, which was written by a committee of health experts, does not go as far as calling for reclassification, something that Congress or the executive branch has the power to do.
<p class="">
<p class="">But the reports conclusions show why marijuana does not belong with LSD and heroin on <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml">Schedule I</a>, defined as substances with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. The committees review of existing studies found conclusive or substantial evidence that marijuana or compounds in the plant can effectively treat chronic pain, nausea from chemotherapy and some symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Though there is not enough evidence to show that epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder can be successfully treated, the report said continuing clinical trials may yet provide proof......
<p class="">
<p class="">
<p class=""><a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/scientists-to-government-make-it-easier-to-study-marijuana.html?_r=0">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/scientists-to-government-make-it-easier-to-study-marijuana.html?_r=0</a>
<p class="">By <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html" title="More Articles by THE EDITORIAL BOARD"><span>THE EDITORIAL BOARD</a></span>
JAN. 17, 2017
<p class="">Even as more and more states allow their residents to use marijuana, the federal government is continuing to obstruct scientists from studying whether the drug is good or bad for peoples health.
<p class="">
<p class="">A <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=24625&_ga=1.172863584.235057739.1484262362">report published last week</a> by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine points out that scientists who want to study cannabis have to seek approvals from federal, state and local agencies and depend on just one lab, at the University of Mississippi, for samples. As a result, far too little is known about the health effects of a substance that <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-medical-marijuana-laws.aspx">28 states</a> have decided can be used as medicine and <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/civil-and-criminal-justice/marijuana-overview.aspx">eight states and the District of Columbia</a> have approved for recreational use.
<p class="">
<p class="">The situation is so absurd, the report says, that chemists and brain researchers are not allowed to study cannabis concentrates and edibles. Yet those forms of the drug are widely used. For example, in Colorado, where voters decided to create a regulated market for marijuana in 2012, sales of concentrates reached $60.5 million in just the first three months of last year.
<p class="">
<p class="">Many of the research restrictions stem from the federal governments decision to classify marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which limits access to funding, among other burdens. The report, which was written by a committee of health experts, does not go as far as calling for reclassification, something that Congress or the executive branch has the power to do.
<p class="">
<p class="">But the reports conclusions show why marijuana does not belong with LSD and heroin on <a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml">Schedule I</a>, defined as substances with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. The committees review of existing studies found conclusive or substantial evidence that marijuana or compounds in the plant can effectively treat chronic pain, nausea from chemotherapy and some symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Though there is not enough evidence to show that epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder can be successfully treated, the report said continuing clinical trials may yet provide proof......
<p class="">
<p class="">
<p class=""><a data-ipb="nomediaparse" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/scientists-to-government-make-it-easier-to-study-marijuana.html?_r=0">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/scientists-to-government-make-it-easier-to-study-marijuana.html?_r=0</a>