MONOPOLY ON SALE OF RESEARCH MARIJUANA MAY END

Proponents argue that it eases pain and could be useful in the
treatment of multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV. Others say it's an
illegal drug with the potential for long-term damage. But a new Yale
study on marijuana may bring scientists one step closer to the answer
- -- especially after a breakthrough court ruling that could lift a key
limitation on future research.

Yale medical school researchers weighed in on the debate over
marijuana's effect on the respiratory system, synthesizing the
findings of 34 articles in a variety of medical journals from 1966 to
2005. Their conclusions, which question the link between long-term
marijuana use and pulmonary disease, were published in the Archive of
Internal Medicine on Monday, the same day that a judge recommended
lifting a 65-year ban on privately growing marijuana for research purposes.

The researchers found that long-term exposure to marijuana smoke may
result in many of the same health problems caused by tobacco smoke,
such as coughing, wheezing and phlegm. But, they said, there is no
direct evidence linking long-term marijuana use to other
smoking-related diseases like emphysema and lung cancer. But eleven
of the 12 relevant studies examined found that marijuana smoke leads
to the relaxation and opening of air passages in the short term, an
argument medical marijuana proponents look to for support.

Still, the authors said, more research is necessary before doctors
will know enough about cannabis to prescribe it like other drugs.

"There are no other drugs on the market that a doctor would say,
'smoke two of these and tell me how you feel in the morning,'" said
Brent Moore, a psychiatry professor at the School of Medicine who
worked on the study.

Medicinal marijuana has become a hot-button issue in recent years,
and scientists looking to contribute research on the subject have
begun to speak out about the availability, or lack thereof, of
cannabis for use in research. For the past 65 years, the National
Institute on Drug Abuse has monopolized the sale of cannabis to all
interested researchers. This may soon change, however, as a Drug
Enforcement Agency judge recommended that a University of
Massachusetts professor be granted a license to grow research-grade
marijuana for use in privately funded studies.

Most of Yale's research on marijuana has been limited to using
subjects currently dealing with substance abuse problems, Moore said.
The subjects, usually found through newspaper advertisements and
other traditional recruitment avenues, must have previously used drugs.

But research into the long-term effects of marijuana has a number of
limitations, the report said. For one, it is difficult to account for
the possibility that participants have a history of tobacco smoking.
In addition, there are no standardized measures for dose and duration
of use, said Jeanette Tetrault, Yale researcher and first author of
the study. All of the study's authors agreed that more research into
the effects of marijuana must be conducted before any conclusions can be drawn.

"Maybe smoking marijuana is the problem," Tetrault said. "Maybe the
compound itself has positive effects. Maybe we need to focus on
delivery. More research still needs to be done."

Many scientists said they saw the judge's ruling as a breakthrough in
the process of marijuana research, increasing the availability of the
drug for use in privately funded studies. The DEA has 20 days either
to accept or reject the court's recommendation to allow the UMass
professor to start growing cannabis.