Pubdate: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 Source: Modesto Bee, The (CA) Copyright: 2009 The Modesto Bee Contact: http://www.modbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/271 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n755/a09.html Author: Dan Bernath CHALLENGING THE CHIEF ON HIS FACTS Interim police chief Michael Harden is entitled to his opinions regarding medical marijuana, but not his own facts. The 1999 Institute of Medicine report Harden cites, which I'm guessing he has never read, is a careful, nuanced document. But its conclusion regarding whether or not marijuana has medical value is clear: "Nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety ... all can be mitigated by marijuana." During the press conference releasing the report, lead author Dr. John Benson said, "[W]e concluded that there are some limited circumstances in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses." Harden is also wrong that no double-blind clinical research exist verifying medical marijuana's safety and efficacy. I'll name two: "Vaporization as a Smokeless Cannabis Delivery System: A Pilot Study," by HIV/AIDS researcher Dr. Donald Abrams of the University of California at San Francisco and published in 2007 in "Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics," and "Cannabis for Treatment of HIV- Related Peripheral Neuropathy," also by Abrams and published in 2007 in "Neurology." Once Harden gets his facts squared away, we can then address how his conclusions regarding medical marijuana are just as wrong. Dan Bernath Marijuana Policy Project Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake