POTENT SUPPORT FOR MEDICINAL POT

Yet another survey shows substantial support for the medical use of
marijuana. The latest one was conducted for AARP, the national
organization for the over-50 crowd. AARP hasn't taken a stand on the
issue, but, given the potential benefit for some older Americans, the
organization decided to take a closer look at the debate.

More than 70 percent of those polled for AARP said it should be legal
to use marijuana if a doctor recommends it for health reasons. Younger
people - 45 was the minimum age in the survey - were more likely
to believe in the medicinal properties of marijuana than older people.

But even the oldest group in the survey - those over 70 -
overwhelmingly thought pot should be permitted for medical reasons.
Proponents of health-related use of marijuana credit it with easing
pain that resists other drugs and with combating nausea caused by
cancer treatment.

Nonetheless, given the Drug Enforcement Administration's opposition to
the idea of medical marijuana, seniors have about as much chance of
seeing a serious examination of the issue as they do a drop in health
care costs. In fact, the DEA last week rebuffed a request by the
University of Massachusetts to grow its own marijuana for research.
The agency said plenty of marijuana is available for that purpose from
the government-approved crop at the University of Mississippi.

But none of that is potent enough, countered Dr. Lyle Craker, a
University of Massachusetts biology professor who had sought
permission to grow his own research supply.

"We wanted to have a source independent from the government and with a
known potency so doctors can run clinical trials," he told The New
York Times. Seems like a reasonable way to weed out fantasy from fact.