- Marijuana is a Schedule I controlled substance, along with Heroin, LSD and 128 others.
- Marijuana is the only Schedule I substance for which the US government has a monopoly on the supply available for research.
- Dr. Lyle Craker is a respected researcher in the field of herbs and medicinal plants. In 2001 he applied to the DEA for a license to grow marijuana for FDA-approved research. He contends that not only is the government monopoly counterproductive for research, but the government supply is of poor quality and limited quantities.
- This is mainstream scientific research into a plant that appears to have many useful properties. Yes, it might have harmful properties too, but that's what this researsh is all about: understanding the properties of this plant and finding ways to gain the benefits while reducing any harmful side-effects.
- This is a more conservative, mainstream path than the existing medical marijuana implementations in the 13 states (24% of the US population) that have legalized marijuana for medical use. And with marijuana legally recognized as having unique medicinal properties in all these states, the next logical step is to initiate the established federal processes for investigating such substances.
- Research like this creates an opportunity for commerce. Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals is already way ahead of any US company with their Sativex drug for neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis patients.
- Commerce like that funds more research, as with GW's Cannabinoid Research Institute. America should be a leader in science and commerce, not an obstacle.
- The DEA has consistently politicized and obstructed Dr. Craker's application: from pretending for over a year that they hadn't received the paperwork, to taking two years to respond to a judge's official recommendation and issuing their rejection order six days before President Obama's inauguration.
- With our new president in place, there is actually a chance that the DEA might grant this license. I don't know what the line in Vegas would be, but it's actually a possibility now for the first time.
- This is a real issue that affects real people. Studies have shown that marijuana-based medicines can improve the lives of sick people while reducing the costs of medication. But we've barely started to do the real research yet, because the DEA is effectively blocking it.
