Pubdate: Mon, 09 Dec 2013
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2013 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Sue Sisley
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n571/a13.html

LACK OF POT FOR RESEARCH NO MYTH

Regarding "Busting medical-pot study myth" (Opinions, Dec. 2):

Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk echoed a misleading statement 
from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website that NIDA "permits 
or funds studies on therapeutic benefits of marijuana."

A 1999 Health and Human Services Department guidance forbids NIDA 
from selling marijuana for research seeking to develop it into a Food 
and Drug Administration-approved medicine. NIDA is the sole legal 
provider of marijuana for research in the U.S. NIDA has denied 
marijuana to all three FDAapproved studies seeking to develop the 
whole plant into a prescription medicine, preventing them from happening.

The National Cancer Institute study cited by Ms. Polk was on isolated 
cannabinoids, not the marijuana plant. Our study of marijuana for 
post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. veterans was approved by the 
FDA but has been frozen for two years due to NIDA's refusal to sell 
us marijuana.

We resubmitted the protocol on Oct. 24, after also receiving approval 
from the University of Arizona Institutional Review Board. We are 
waiting for a response.

- - Dr. Sue Sisley, Scottsdale
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom