"Bizarre Public Discussion" Over Marijuana

... "no sound scientific studies" supported the medical use of marijuana ...

As a toker for over 25 years, and as a valid member of the legal profession, I really get ticked when having to deal with this government's unrealistic stance on marijuana.

Congressional opponents and supporters of medical marijuana use have each tried to enlist the F.D.A. to support their views. Representative Mark Souder, Republican of Indiana and a fierce opponent of medical marijuana initiatives, proposed legislation two years ago that would have required the food and drug agency to issue an opinion on the medicinal properties of marijuana.

Mr. Souder believes that efforts to legalize medicinal uses of marijuana are a front for efforts to legalize all uses of it, said Martin Green, a spokesman for Mr. Souder.

Tom Riley, a spokesman for Mr. Walters, hailed the food and drug agency's statement, saying it would put to rest what he called "the bizarre public discussion" that has led to some legalization of medical marijuana.

Bizarre public discussion?

So, discussing whether pot should be legal or not is categorized as bizarre? That's a good one. Dipshits.

The Food and Drug Administration statement directly contradicts a 1999 review by the Institute of Medicine, a part of the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most prestigious scientific advisory agency. That review found marijuana to be "moderately well suited for particular conditions, such as chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and AIDS wasting."

Dr. John Benson, co-chairman of the Institute of Medicine committee that examined the research into marijuana's effects, said in an interview that the statement on Thursday and the combined review by other agencies were wrong.

The federal government "loves to ignore our report," said Dr. Benson, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. "They would rather it never happened."

Of all the bizarre ideology that comes from the goverment, this is the most bizarre. This is not a Bush thing, either, for the government since the inception of the drug rating system impelmented by Nixon, has always disavowed any legitimate purpose for pot. And the government has refused and refused and refused over the past 30 years to allow any sort of controlled growth and study of pot. The reason that it is so hard to get any professional reports from long term studies is because the goverment refuses to grant use of the only goverment grown pot for such a study, and if you use your own grown pot, the study will not count. Therefore, for the last 30 years, the goverment has effectively muzzled any real studies that deal with any benefit whatsoever of pot.

Pardon me while I fire up a joint and take a sip of my coffee. Ah, what a way to start out my day!