CB
12-22-2005, 05:42 PM
found this awhile back so i dont remember what issue it came from but it's pretty good artical time magazine did
Time Magazine Touts Cannabis As ‘Legitimate Medical Trend’
Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Studies for Alzheimer’s, Rheumatoid
Arthritis Cited
Patient Advocacy Group Prepares to Sue HHS For Failure to Respond to
Evidence
OAKLAND – Today’s issue of Time magazine reports that new research on the
medical use of marijuana is one of the most significant medical developments
of 2005. This article comes just one week after the final deadline for
response to a legal challenge brought by a medical marijuana advocacy group
that asks the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop
claiming there is no medical use for marijuana.
According to Time, “Research into the analgesic and anti-inflammatory
effects of cannabis continued to bolster the case for the medicinal use of
marijuana, making the ‘patient pot laws’ that have passed in 11 states seem
less like a social movement than a legitimate medical trend. One trial--the
first controlled study of its kind--showed that a medicine containing
cannabis extracts called Sativex not only lessened the pain of rheumatoid
arthritis but actually suppressed the disease. An earlier study published in
the Journal of Neuroscience showed that synthetic cannabinoids, the
chemicals in marijuana, can reduce inflammation in the brain and may protect
it from the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.”
Despite the widespread acceptance of scientific research like this, the
federal government continues to claim that there is no medical use for
marijuana. That claim is being challenged by Americans for Safe Access, an
Oakland-based medical marijuana advocacy group. HHS has yet to respond to
the medical marijuana group’s administrative appeal of HHS’s earlier denial
of its petition under the Data Quality Act, requesting the department
correct its statements that marijuana is not considered to have medical
value. As a result, Americans for Safe Access is preparing to sue HHS for
its failure to respond. The appeal has been pending since last May, even
though the department’s guidelines specify that it will respond to such
requests within 60 calendar days.
“The government’s failure to meet its obligations under the DQA is a
violation of its own procedures,” said Steph Sherer, ASA’s executive
director. “HHS should not be standing in the way of medical advances.”
The Administrative Procedure Act allows judicial review to compel agency
action when such action is “unreasonably” delayed. If Americans for Safe
Access prevails in its petition, the Department of Health and Human Services
will have to change its published information on medical marijuana and
publicly admit that marijuana is now effectively used for medical treatment,
clearing the way for medical reclassification that would allow doctors to
prescribe it to their patients nationwide.
The United Kingdom reclassified marijuana from class B to class C in 2004,
meaning they have determined marijuana has a low risk of addiction and few
long-term health hazards. After one year, the government's Advisory Council
on the Misuse of Drugs affirmed the reclassification. Despite concerns that
reducing criminal penalties would increase use, the number of people using
cannabis has fallen by more than 1% in the first full year after possession
of the drug was made a less serious offense, and the UK has reportedly
freed-up police resources to fight hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
Time Magazine Touts Cannabis As ‘Legitimate Medical Trend’
Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Studies for Alzheimer’s, Rheumatoid
Arthritis Cited
Patient Advocacy Group Prepares to Sue HHS For Failure to Respond to
Evidence
OAKLAND – Today’s issue of Time magazine reports that new research on the
medical use of marijuana is one of the most significant medical developments
of 2005. This article comes just one week after the final deadline for
response to a legal challenge brought by a medical marijuana advocacy group
that asks the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to stop
claiming there is no medical use for marijuana.
According to Time, “Research into the analgesic and anti-inflammatory
effects of cannabis continued to bolster the case for the medicinal use of
marijuana, making the ‘patient pot laws’ that have passed in 11 states seem
less like a social movement than a legitimate medical trend. One trial--the
first controlled study of its kind--showed that a medicine containing
cannabis extracts called Sativex not only lessened the pain of rheumatoid
arthritis but actually suppressed the disease. An earlier study published in
the Journal of Neuroscience showed that synthetic cannabinoids, the
chemicals in marijuana, can reduce inflammation in the brain and may protect
it from the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease.”
Despite the widespread acceptance of scientific research like this, the
federal government continues to claim that there is no medical use for
marijuana. That claim is being challenged by Americans for Safe Access, an
Oakland-based medical marijuana advocacy group. HHS has yet to respond to
the medical marijuana group’s administrative appeal of HHS’s earlier denial
of its petition under the Data Quality Act, requesting the department
correct its statements that marijuana is not considered to have medical
value. As a result, Americans for Safe Access is preparing to sue HHS for
its failure to respond. The appeal has been pending since last May, even
though the department’s guidelines specify that it will respond to such
requests within 60 calendar days.
“The government’s failure to meet its obligations under the DQA is a
violation of its own procedures,” said Steph Sherer, ASA’s executive
director. “HHS should not be standing in the way of medical advances.”
The Administrative Procedure Act allows judicial review to compel agency
action when such action is “unreasonably” delayed. If Americans for Safe
Access prevails in its petition, the Department of Health and Human Services
will have to change its published information on medical marijuana and
publicly admit that marijuana is now effectively used for medical treatment,
clearing the way for medical reclassification that would allow doctors to
prescribe it to their patients nationwide.
The United Kingdom reclassified marijuana from class B to class C in 2004,
meaning they have determined marijuana has a low risk of addiction and few
long-term health hazards. After one year, the government's Advisory Council
on the Misuse of Drugs affirmed the reclassification. Despite concerns that
reducing criminal penalties would increase use, the number of people using
cannabis has fallen by more than 1% in the first full year after possession
of the drug was made a less serious offense, and the UK has reportedly
freed-up police resources to fight hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine.