MANY states nationwide are considering legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana. Last week, one such bill cleared both houses in Connecticut (but at press time had not yet been signed by the governor), New York appears likely to follow suit and New Jersey has two bills with bipartisan support. Indeed, a number of states have had similar measures in play over the last year, in addition to the 12 that have already passed such laws. The picture is very different at the federal level, where marijuana is branded as an illegal drug. An amendment to a recent drug safety bill would require all purveyors of state-authorized medical marijuana to be subject to Food and Drug Administration regulation. The senator who introduced this amendment said that making any drug available without F.D.A. review or proof of safety and effectiveness would set a dangerous precedent that would threaten patient safety. Marijuana advocates have opposed the bill, because it would close medical marijuana cooperatives and create barriers to the use of the drug. [continues 731 words]
Stanford, Calif. LAST week, the Food and Drug Administration staked out its position on the long-standing controversy over the medical use of marijuana -- and made a lot of people smoking mad. The F.D.A. endorsed a multi-agency study that found that "no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use." This came as an affront to those who claim that cannabis is an appropriate treatment for ailments from nausea and vomiting to muscle spasticity and intractable pain. [continues 783 words]
IF YOU'VE filled a prescription recently, you may have had a nasty surprise. Antibiotics or a tube of steroid cream used to cost a few bucks, but now the prices are soaring. A few examples of the cost of a week's supply of drugs: the antibiotic clarithromycin, $75; Rocalcitrol, a vitamin D derivative, $55-385 (depending on the dosage); and erythropoietin, for anemia, $324-486. Why? In large part, it's your tax dollars at work. Government regulation imposes enormous ``taxes'' on drug development, which decrease the number of drugs that are developed and which are ultimately passed along to consumers in higher prices. [continues 839 words]
