ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210062
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BETHESDA, MD.
SOURCE: Associated Press
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT differs, but the National Institutes of Health might authorize research on medical applications for marijuana.
Sparse but promising evidence indicates smoking marijuana may ease the suffering of some seriously ill patients, but more study is needed before the drug's medical value is understood, a panel of experts said Thursday.
At a news conference interrupted repeatedly by pro-marijuana demonstrators, the experts assembled by the National Institutes of Health spoke of intriguing hints that marijuana helps some patients with cancer, AIDS or glaucoma.
``For at least some indications [medical uses], it looks promising enough that there should be some new controlled studies,'' said Dr. William Beaver, a professor of pharmacology at Georgetown University School of Medicine who heads the panel.
Although a final report is not complete, ``the general mood was that for some indications, there is a rationale for looking further into the therapeutic effects of marijuana,'' Beaver said.
The eight-member committee appeared at a news conference after two days of hearings during which members reviewed the scientific literature on medical use of smoking marijuana and heard from other experts.
Dr. Alan Leshner, head of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, organized the meeting after California and Arizona enacted state laws that allow medical uses of marijuana.
Those state laws prompted White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey to warn that doctors who prescribe marijuana could lose their federal authority to prescribe medicine. One California doctor already has been warned by the Department of Justice that he is under investigation.
Leshner said the NIH would finance medical marijuana studies anyway, if proposed research is approved by the agency's peer-review process. He said his institute is empowered to issue legal marijuana to researchers.
``Our policy is that if other institutes [at NIH] support a study, then we will provide the marijuana.''
Allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana is popular with Americans, favored by 62 percent to 33 percent in a CBS News poll released Thursday. But legalizing marijuana for personal use is opposed by 70 percent to 26 percent.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB