CLEMSON CHEMIST LOOKS TO REPRODUCE MEDICAL BENEFITS OF POT

CLEMSON, S.C. - A Clemson University team of researchers is looking at
ways to get the medical benefits found in marijuana without getting
bogged down in the politics of the drug.

Chemist John Huffman is leading the team, working on synthetic
versions of the substances that provide the same medical benefits of
marijuana without side effects such as an unwanted high or lung damage.

Marijuana can be smoked legitimately for medical benefits, including
relief of pain and nausea from a variety of ailments, in 11 states.
But, three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the drug is
subject to federal anti-narcotic laws.

Huffman and his team have been working for 20 years on federally
funded research into cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana that
confer its potency in the brain.

"The goal of our research is to try to define the detailed chemical
structure of compounds as it relates to their biological activity," he
said.

The idea is to pinpoint what in cannabinoids causes the high felt by
smokers so the synthetic molecules would not contain that trait, but
would still have the medicinal effects.

One piece of the puzzle is the substance THC, which controls nausea
but also produces the high.

"THC is the most effective anti-nausea drug there is, and other than
the effect that it causes a high, it has relatively few side effects,"
Huffman said.

A version of THC, called Marinol, is available for treatment of nausea
or to stimulate appetite in AIDS patients, but it causes a high, which
many users find uncomfortable or consider taboo, he said.

One person glad to hear about the research is California accountant
Diane Monson, 47. Monson said she was using marijuana in consultation
with her doctor to relieve back pain and spasms.

California's law says people can grow or otherwise obtain and use the
hemp species if a doctor signs off on the medical purpose. But her six
pot plants were seized by federal officials citing laws prohibiting
cultivation and use of marijuana and she sued.

Her case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I believe that this drug being a Schedule One drug with heroin and
crank has really hindered the research and development we need," she
said. "I'm glad someone is trying something."

Other states with laws similar to California's are Alaska, Arizona,
Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.