Pubdate: Sun, 04 Jan 2015
Source: Oklahoman, The (OK)
Copyright: 2015 The Oklahoma Publishing Co.
Contact: http://www.newsok.com/voices/guidelines
Website: http://newsok.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/318
Author: Raoul Carubelli

POT PROBE WARRANTED

Although under federal law marijuana is a drug with no medical use 
and doctors can't prescribe it, 23 states and Washington, D.C., allow 
marijuana use for some medical conditions. In addition, Washington 
State and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana. Interstate 
travel by dealers and "drug tourists" increased the availability of 
marijuana in other states. Forty states reported seizure of Colorado 
medical and/or recreational marijuana. This caused serious problems 
in neighboring Oklahoma and Nebraska, which are suing Colorado in the 
U.S. Supreme Court seeking relief for this situation. The U.S. 
Justice Department ignores this problem.

The federal government announcement that it will allow American 
Indian tribes to grow and sell marijuana may escalate this problem. 
The amounts allowed to be grown, and whether it can be taken out of 
the reservations, need clarification. Although many tribes are 
inclined to avoid marijuana as a source of income, about a dozen 
Nebraska tribes are evaluating a legal framework for the marijuana business.

The Colorado Board of Health decided to invest more than $8 million 
to investigate whether marijuana helps in the treatment of certain 
diseases; unfortunately, this is being challenged by users of medical 
marijuana demanding a refund of any excess cash from their $15 annual 
registration fee. Current marijuana research focus on its negative 
effects; it's now imperative to investigate its medical uses.

Isolation and pharmacological evaluation of pot constituents are 
needed. This research could be funded following the successful model 
of the tobacco research fund.

Raoul Carubelli, Oklahoma City
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom