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CANNABIS RESEARCH IN EDITORIAL OUTDATED

I feel compelled to respond to your recent editorial, "Medical pot: No wonder."

Sadly, the conclusions drawn in the piece are largely based on information that is ( 1 ) only peripherally relevant and ( 2 ) woefully out of date.  The editorial does a disservice to readers by implying the "79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients" cited in the piece represent directly applicable - and current - research on medical cannabis.

The first thing your readers should know is those 79 studies were not focused on what many experts would consider "medical marijuana." The study cited had "an emphasis on 28 randomized clinical trials of cannabinoids" - that is, 28 separate trials on individual molecules including mostly those that have been synthetically derived as only single, pure compounds.  Experts overwhelmingly agree that whole-plant-based medicines, those including many molecules made by the plant, are physiologically superior to single-molecule approaches, yet most of the data cited in your editorial was derived from inferior single-molecule studies.  It's fair to say that many of the questions and concerns raised by the research you cited are directly attributable to the deficient nature of the studies themselves.

The other important thing your readers should know about the evaluation cited in the piece is that some of the data the authors included dates back to 1948.  I doubt many of your readers would feel comfortable visiting a physician whose treatment decisions were based on information that is nearly 70 years old.  Given the pace of medical advancement in this country, that's like opting for a horse and carriage over a modern hybrid vehicle and expecting a comparable level of performance.

There is no question that continuing research on medical cannabis is necessary - just as ongoing studies are important to improving the application of other medicines.  But to conclude, based on inferior data, that moving forward with a medical cannabis program in Maryland is premature and unjustified is to ignore compelling evidence of medical cannabis' efficacy and its ability to alleviate the suffering of so many different patients statewide.

Jeffrey C.  Raber Bellevue, Wash.

Jeffrey Raber is the CEO and CVO of the Werc Shop, a analytical cannabis laboratory.