Pubdate: Sat, 19 May 2001 Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX) Copyright: 2001 Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas Contact: http://www.star-telegram.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/162 Author: Christopher Largen POLITICIZING PHARMACOLOGY The real reason why doctors can prescribe cocaine and morphine but not marijuana has little to do with public health. It is more about profit margins for a powerful pharmaceutical industry with a strong lobbying influence in Washington. Marijuana cannot be patented in its purely natural form, but it could be easily grown by thousands of patients. Legal drug companies stand to lose a considerable profit if marijuana were to prove to be an acceptable medical alternative for dying or chronically ill patients. Unfortunately, the call for research operates in a circular fashion. When pro-decriminalization groups call for reform of drug laws, the government says we need more research. One of the main reasons that we lack sufficient research is because of the drug laws, and legitimate scientists who seek to perform controlled empirical tests on marijuana face daunting bureaucratic hurdles. In the meantime, while drug companies, politicians and lawyers wrestle over where to draw the line in the sand, sick and dying people continue to be arrested. We should not politicize pharmacology. Our descendants may one day mock our folly. Christopher Largen - --- MAP posted-by: Andrew