D.E.A. AND MARIJUANA

To the Editor:

John Tierney, in his April 25 column discussing the Drug Enforcement
Administration's registration of marijuana researchers and the
national effort to curb methamphetamine production, claims that the
agency prevents researchers from finding evidence that marijuana is
medicine by not allowing high-quality marijuana to be supplied to them.

The D.E.A. doesn't limit the potency of marijuana for research. The
agency has registered every one of the 163 researchers who requested
to use marijuana in studies and who have met Department of Health and
Human Services standards.

None of these researchers have sought any higher quality marijuana,
but if they ever did, it could be supplied.

Mr. Tierney also suggests that placing restrictions on the sale of
pseudoephedrine products won't affect meth and its related crime. To
the contrary, states with these restrictions have slashed the number
of make-shift meth labs, sometimes by more than half.

Citizens overwhelmingly accept this small inconvenience because they
have seen it rid their neighborhoods of violent criminals and toxic
meth labs that are endangering our children, poisoning our
environment and costing taxpayers millions of dollars to clean up.

Karen P. Tandy

Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration

Arlington, Va., April 28, 2006