Pubdate: Wed, 03 May 2006 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2006 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n516/a04.html Author: Karen P. Tandy D.E.A. AND MARIJUANA To the Editor: John Tierney, in his April 25 column discussing the Drug Enforcement Administration's registration of marijuana researchers and the national effort to curb methamphetamine production, claims that the agency prevents researchers from finding evidence that marijuana is medicine by not allowing high-quality marijuana to be supplied to them. The D.E.A. doesn't limit the potency of marijuana for research. The agency has registered every one of the 163 researchers who requested to use marijuana in studies and who have met Department of Health and Human Services standards. None of these researchers have sought any higher quality marijuana, but if they ever did, it could be supplied. Mr. Tierney also suggests that placing restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine products won't affect meth and its related crime. To the contrary, states with these restrictions have slashed the number of make-shift meth labs, sometimes by more than half. Citizens overwhelmingly accept this small inconvenience because they have seen it rid their neighborhoods of violent criminals and toxic meth labs that are endangering our children, poisoning our environment and costing taxpayers millions of dollars to clean up. Karen P. Tandy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration Arlington, Va., April 28, 2006