FEDS STILL OSTRICHES ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

RESEARCHERS at the University of California, San Francisco, have
presented more evidence of medical benefits from marijuana.

The UCSF study concluded that HIV patients who smoked three joints of
marijuana per day experienced relief from chronic foot pain
associated with the disease.

By contrast, previous studies of marinol -- the FDA-approved drug
containing a synthetic version of THC, an active ingredient in
cannabis -- showed little promise in relief for HIV-associated
neuropathy, a peripheral nerve disorder that causes intense, sharp
pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Doctors concluded
marijuana contains properties in addition to THC that lead to
effective relief for HIV patients.

In fact, the UCSF study tested patients who smoked cannabis as
opposed to smoking a placebo. Patients who smoked cannabis
experienced a 34 percent reduction in intense foot pain; the first
cannabis cigarette patients smoked reduced chronic pain 72 percent as
opposed to 15 percent for those who smoked the placebo.

Though three joints a day could probably relieve many pains and
assorted ailments, it's still another key piece of evidence that
shows how marijuana can be a big benefit in the medical field.
Cannabis has also been effective in other cases, such as bringing
relief to cancer patients who experience pain and nausea from
chemotherapy treatments. A 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine
said that though marijuana is a strong drug, it is safe and should
not be excluded from medical uses.

We agree. Yet even as the evidence mounts about the benefits of
marijuana as a medicine, federal officials and agencies continue to
bury their heads in the sand, still believing the scare tactics of
marijuana from the 1960s that are virtually laughable in this day and age.

In the case of HIV patients suffering from neuropathy, treatment
generally consists of antidepressants and seizure drugs, but those
medications often don't work and some patients can't tolerate them.
In fact, the FDA has not approved any drugs specifically for that
condition. Can you imagine being such a patient, knowing something
like marijuana is out there and can help, yet government puts it out
of reach. These people aren't drug addicts; this isn't an "Animal
House" party -- these are people with a chronic illness who need help.

Let's face it -- many available painkillers, if abused, can be
dangerous, even deadly, but they can be obtained via a doctor's prescription.

Yet here we are with growing mounds of evidence, and federal
officials still can't bring themselves to agree that marijuana, if
treated as a doctor-prescribed painkiller, can be effective and
beneficial to many patients.

Organizations are calling for Congressional hearings to discuss
possibly legalizing marijuana for medical use. An Oakland advocacy
group is taking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to
court demanding that it change its stance on pot's medical value.

We hope federal courts and lawmakers take a good hard look at the
benefits of marijuana treatment, examine the evidence and come to the
conclusion that we're not talking about hard-core drugs like heroin
or opium -- we're talking about safe pain relief for those who need it most.