Scientists: FDA's research is motivated by political interests
Gardiner Harris
Washington. "There is no established scientific research proving that marijuana has medicinal properties" - this is what the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week. The determination is based on a joint study conducted by the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), research agencies and regulatory bodies in the US, from which it appears that "smoking marijuana has no proven medical benefit". However, scientists and lawmakers in the US reject the findings and claim that controlled use of the drug can benefit patients with certain diseases, including AIDS and cancer.
Today, the medical use of marijuana is legal in 11 states in the US, but the DEA and the National Drug Enforcement Policy Commissioner, John Walters, oppose such use. Last year, a ruling by the US Supreme Court allowed the federal government to arrest anyone who uses marijuana, even if the use is for medical purposes in states where the use is legal. The new study will not affect US drug enforcement policy, as enforcement is outside the FDA's purview.
The FDA's announcement stands in contrast to a study conducted by the "Institute of Medicine" at the "National Academy of Sciences" - the most prestigious scientific advisory body in the country - in 1999, in which it was found that marijuana is "moderately suitable for specific conditions following chemotherapy and physical deterioration due to AIDS."
Dr. John Benson, who served as chairman of the Institute of Medicine committee that reviewed research on the effects of marijuana, said the FDA's announcement was wrong. "The federal government likes to ignore our report," Benson said. "They would have preferred that he not be published." According to scientists and legislators, the administration's announcement proves that internal politics between the various authorities is crowding out science. "This is another example of FDA announcements driven by ideology rather than science," said Dr. Jerry Iburn of Harvard.
In addition, scientists claim that the federal government is working to prevent research on the subject. Dr. Donald Abrams of the University of California, San Francisco, said he had been researching the medical effects of marijuana for years, but his efforts were thwarted because the National Institutes of Health and the government's top medical research agency refused to fund his work. Abrams conducted a study, funded by the state of California, which showed that smoking marijuana relieved nerve pain in AIDS patients. "Under such conditions", said Abrams, "it is not clear how experiments can be carried out to prove the usefulness of marijuana?".
Opponents of the legalization of marijuana for medical use argue that it is a drug that drives users to try more dangerous drugs and become addicted. But the "Institute of Medicine" report states that there is no evidence of this. Dr. Daniela Fiomelli from the University of California, said that he has never met a scientist who says that marijuana is dangerous. "Studies clearly show that marijuana is beneficial for certain patients," he added.
