The NY Times wrote:
WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration declared Thursday that "no sound scientific studies" support the medical use of smoked marijuana.
The statement contradicts a 1999 review by top government scientists.
Susan Bro, an agency spokeswoman, said the statement resulted from a review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded "smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment." She said the agency was issuing the statement because of numerous inquiries from Capitol Hill but would likely do nothing to enforce it.
[...]
Eleven states have legalized medicinal uses of marijuana, but the Drug Enforcement Administration and the nation's drug czar, John Walters, have opposed those efforts. A Supreme Court decision last year allowed the federal government to arrest anyone using marijuana, even in states that have legalized its use.
Congressional opponents and supporters of medical marijuana have tried to enlist the FDA to support their views. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) proposed legislation two years ago that would have required the FDA to issue an opinion on the medicinal properties of the drug.
Souder said he believes efforts to legalize medicinal uses of marijuana are "a front" for attempts to legalize all uses of marijuana, said Martin Green, a spokesman for Souder.
[...]
The agency's statement contradicts a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences. That review found marijuana to be "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting."
[...]
Some scientists and legislators said the agency's statement about marijuana shows that politics are trumping science.
"Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the FDA making pronouncements that seem to be driven more by ideology than by science," said Dr. Jerry Avorn, a professor at Harvard Medical School.
The statement contradicts a 1999 review by top government scientists.
Susan Bro, an agency spokeswoman, said the statement resulted from a review by federal drug enforcement, regulatory and research agencies that concluded "smoked marijuana has no currently accepted or proven medical use in the United States and is not an approved medical treatment." She said the agency was issuing the statement because of numerous inquiries from Capitol Hill but would likely do nothing to enforce it.
[...]
Eleven states have legalized medicinal uses of marijuana, but the Drug Enforcement Administration and the nation's drug czar, John Walters, have opposed those efforts. A Supreme Court decision last year allowed the federal government to arrest anyone using marijuana, even in states that have legalized its use.
Congressional opponents and supporters of medical marijuana have tried to enlist the FDA to support their views. Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) proposed legislation two years ago that would have required the FDA to issue an opinion on the medicinal properties of the drug.
Souder said he believes efforts to legalize medicinal uses of marijuana are "a front" for attempts to legalize all uses of marijuana, said Martin Green, a spokesman for Souder.
[...]
The agency's statement contradicts a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences. That review found marijuana to be "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting."
[...]
Some scientists and legislators said the agency's statement about marijuana shows that politics are trumping science.
"Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the FDA making pronouncements that seem to be driven more by ideology than by science," said Dr. Jerry Avorn, a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Now, once upon a time I'd have said "Hey, the FDA says so..." but, given the way the administration has been accused of strong-arming them regarding making the morning-after pill* an OTC medication, I wouldn't be suprised to hear this finding was based more on politics than medical science.
*Check it out... Pubbie news cite!
