INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE SAYS MARIJUANA HAS BENEFITS

On March 17 the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) said that smoking
marijuana had benefits for the terminally ill, and recommended
immediate development of an inhalation device to provide a safe
alternative for those who needed the drug.

The 11-member expert panel urged further study of the biochemical
properties of the active ingredient D-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and
other cannabinoids, and new trials to assess potential clinical benefits.

The panel also said cannabinoids stimulate the appetite, combat
nausea, and might also control pain. The drug also acts as a sedative
and reduces anxiety, which may itself have a therapeutic effect, they
added.

The main problem is the delivery mechanism--namely smoking--which may
contribute to respiratory cancer.

There may be other risks too, which also need to be rigorously
studied, said the panel.

It added that there is no evidence that marijuana is a 'gateway' to
harder drugs, or that it was addictive. However, the panel's findings
may end up collecting dust. The White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy asked for the scientific review of risks and benefits
more than a year ago. And although agreeing on the need for further
study of alternatives to smoking the drug, the Office said it would
not call for legalisation and instead backed out of the debate saying,
"we will continue to rely on the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and the
Surgeon General on all issues related to the medical value of marijuana".

Outside Washington there has been a push to legalise the medicinal use
of marijuana. So far voters in six states have approved measures to do
so. In November, 1998, residents in Washington DC voted on allowing
medicinal use, but the results have been kept secret by a
congressional order.

On a federal level there is unlikely to be any approval for the drug.
Federal laws banning marijuana use, or possession, supersede state
mandates. Several measures were introduced in Congress last year, to
specifically outlaw medicinal use. But on March 2, US Representative
Barney Frank introduced a bill to let states authorise
prescriptions.