ROSSI'S ATTACK ON MARIJUANA STUDY UNFAIR, SAYS RESEARCHER

Republican Dino Rossi has been spending the week attacking the $800
billion federal stimulus plan pushed by Democrats in 2009 as a waste
of money, pointing out examples of what he and others say is
questionable spending that didn't create jobs.

But Rossi's latest example may have misfired.

On Thursday, Rossi attacked a WSU-Vancouver professor's study of
whether marijuana can increase the effectiveness of pain-treating
drugs like morphine. The study received $148,438 in stimulus grants.

Rossi's news release -- headlined "It's 5:00 Somewhere, But It's 4:20
At Washington State University" -- conjured images of stoner students
toking away on the federal dime.

"Washington state taxpayers are tired of their money going up in
smoke. This bill isn't going to stimulate anything other than sales of
Cheetos," Rossi said in the news release, labeling the research a
"boondoggle."

But the researcher, Psychology Professor Michael Morgan, said Thursday
that Rossi doesn't know what he's talking about.

Morgan said his research first came under fire last year, when Sen.
Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma, included it on a list of allegedly wasteful
stimulus projects. Morgan said Coburn never bothered to contact him
about the study. Neither did Rossi.

The attacks on his research are misinformed on a number of counts,
Morgan said.

First, the study the study is being conducted on rats, who are
injected with the drugs. No spleefs involved.

Second, the study did support some jobs. Morgan said he used the money
to hire undergraduates and a graduate student to work on the research.

Most important, Morgan was offended by Rossi's implication that the
research was trivial. Chronic pain is an $80 billion drag on the
economy, he said. And medical marijuana may have a use in treating
it.

Morgan said in an email:

"The grant was reviewed by three top scientists and received one of
the top scores so it is odd that Rossi thinks he knows more about good
research than these neuroscientists. The goal of stimulus funds going
to research was to create jobs and advance research to improve health
care. Contrary to what Rossi's press release says, I have funded both
a graduate and undergraduate student with the $50,000 that I receive
each year. It also provide a month of summer salary for me given that
the State does not pay professors in the summer. The undergraduate I
am currently funding actually graduated in May and would be unemployed
if I did not offer her a job."

In an interview, he added: "I think we've made good use of that money,
but if Rossi wants to debate it, he can give me a call."