Medical Uses for Marijuana
* Re “Is Smoking Pot Good Medicine?” Feb. 26: Your excellent story on the medical use of marijuana contained one major error. Contrary to what you reported, the Food and Drug Administration has acted with integrity and courage and has indeed approved Donald Abrams’ marijuana/AIDS wasting syndrome protocol. Thus, there are no scientific issues preventing medical marijuana research from proceeding.
The only remaining problem lies with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Drug Enforcement Administration. NIDA has been holding up Abrams’ application for a legal supply of marijuana for over six months, in part at the request of the DEA, which claims to be worried about the risk that some of the marijuana provided to the subjects in the study will end up being sold to recreational users. Aside from the fact that seriously ill patients are not likely to sell their medicines, there is no shortage of marijuana available to recreational users. Furthermore, Abrams’ entire study requires less marijuana than the Cannabis Buyers’ Club distributes in a week and a half. Clearly, NIDA and DEA are more scared of science than of diversion.
The American people deserve better. The prevention of medical marijuana research both punishes patients who deserve compassion and lessens the credibility of NIDA. Perhaps NIDA will eventually learn that the willingness to speak the truth is an essential component in the long-term effectiveness of drug abuse prevention and education efforts.
RICK DOBLIN, President
Multidisciplinary Assn. for
Psychedelic Studies
Charlotte, N.C.
* I know how difficult it has been to bring much-needed media attention to the medicinal marijuana issue. My company has been developing an independent film based on the subject for two years. The film is a look into the life of Pete Berlansky. At the center of the story is Pete’s uncle, a cancer patient who is suffering intense nausea from his chemotherapy. After the doctor suggests that smoking marijuana might help, Pete’s mother asks him if he can buy the illegal drug on the street. During his quest, he and his two best friends meet the city’s stoners. After finding the town dry, they turn up some marijuana from an expected source.
To quote Prof. Stephen J. Gould from your piece, “It is beyond my comprehension that any humane person would withhold such a beneficial substance from people in such great need.”
In the not so distant future, I suspect we will all look back on the “drug war” and be ashamed of the enormous toll it took in time, money and human life.
MICHAEL MacDERMOTT
Los Angeles
* Regarding the statements from Mike Heald, I find the DEA position to be not unlike that of the tobacco industry concerning nicotine. Marijuana is not a dangerous, addictive narcotic without value as medicine. Drug czar Lee Brown must be wished every possible success with Operation Hard Line in stopping the flood of cocaine and heroin coming into the United States (Feb. 26). However, the marijuana law needs to change.
MIKE CLOSS
Downey
