Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Unknown to most students, some of their professors have been advocating the growing of marijuana on campus since 2001.
This movement took a blow earlier this month when the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected University of Massachusetts Professor Lyle Craker’s request to become a marijuana manufacturer on Jan. 12.
Craker, a horticulturist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Insect sciences submitted his application in 2001 to receive a license to grow large amounts of marijuana in a controlled environment to further study its effects for medical use.
At the time, he stated that the marijuana currently available for such research was inadequate, and that more uniform and better quality material would be needed.
If approved, findings from clinical studies, which would use the product created by Craker, could then be presented to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has the power to recommend medical marijuana as a legal drug.
Craker has received support from a number of people in his department. He has also found support among government workers, including a federal administrative law judge in 2007 and Massachusetts Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, as well as other members of Congress.
With lawyers still studying the ruling, it is unclear as to whether or not the issue will be taken outside the DEA and into other courts, where he can continue work on receiving a license.
“We have a battle in this world over science and politics,”said Craker. “I want science to prevail. I want to test this material.”
Today, marijuana is legally grown at a number of tightly controlled labs including at the University of Mississippi; however, during his initial application in 2001, Craker claimed that the drug produced there was insufficient for clinical studies.
Since then, Mississippi has improved their material. “They’ve had seven or eight years to do it,” said Craker.
UMass sophomores Chris Fleming and Kyle Lafata both believe that allowing marijuana to be used for research in the medical field would be taking a step in the right direction.
“If doctors feel it [marijuana] is more potent in keeping people comfortable, then an alternative route like this might be more realistic,” said Lafata. “You can never know what can happen until the research is done though.”
Marijuana is being used today to help glaucoma patients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, aids therapy, and even to reduce blood pressure. But without approval from the Food and Drug Administration, marijuana will continue to remain illegal in federal law.
Fleming believes that those who are opposed to allowing research to be done on marijuana are naïve in believing they can prevent it from happening forever.
“I don’t think people should oppose it just because they don’t agree with it,” he said. “It has no effect on them or their life. Some people like to drink, some people don’t. Everyone likes things different ways.”
Craker said he hears from many people asking why marijuana can’t be prescribed as a drug. “They ask ‘why do I have to go to the back alley to get it.’
“All we want to do is investigate it [marijuana], isn’t that what we do in America?” he added. “I’m not in favor of it recreationally, but I think it deserves to be tested for medical purposes.”
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Daily Collegian
Author: essica Sacco
Copyright: 2009 The Daily Collegian
Contact: jsacco@student.umass.edu
Website: The Daily Collegian - UMass professor Lyle Craker denied permission to grow and study marijuana on campus
This movement took a blow earlier this month when the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected University of Massachusetts Professor Lyle Craker’s request to become a marijuana manufacturer on Jan. 12.
Craker, a horticulturist in the Department of Plant, Soil and Insect sciences submitted his application in 2001 to receive a license to grow large amounts of marijuana in a controlled environment to further study its effects for medical use.
At the time, he stated that the marijuana currently available for such research was inadequate, and that more uniform and better quality material would be needed.
If approved, findings from clinical studies, which would use the product created by Craker, could then be presented to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has the power to recommend medical marijuana as a legal drug.
Craker has received support from a number of people in his department. He has also found support among government workers, including a federal administrative law judge in 2007 and Massachusetts Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, as well as other members of Congress.
With lawyers still studying the ruling, it is unclear as to whether or not the issue will be taken outside the DEA and into other courts, where he can continue work on receiving a license.
“We have a battle in this world over science and politics,”said Craker. “I want science to prevail. I want to test this material.”
Today, marijuana is legally grown at a number of tightly controlled labs including at the University of Mississippi; however, during his initial application in 2001, Craker claimed that the drug produced there was insufficient for clinical studies.
Since then, Mississippi has improved their material. “They’ve had seven or eight years to do it,” said Craker.
UMass sophomores Chris Fleming and Kyle Lafata both believe that allowing marijuana to be used for research in the medical field would be taking a step in the right direction.
“If doctors feel it [marijuana] is more potent in keeping people comfortable, then an alternative route like this might be more realistic,” said Lafata. “You can never know what can happen until the research is done though.”
Marijuana is being used today to help glaucoma patients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, aids therapy, and even to reduce blood pressure. But without approval from the Food and Drug Administration, marijuana will continue to remain illegal in federal law.
Fleming believes that those who are opposed to allowing research to be done on marijuana are naïve in believing they can prevent it from happening forever.
“I don’t think people should oppose it just because they don’t agree with it,” he said. “It has no effect on them or their life. Some people like to drink, some people don’t. Everyone likes things different ways.”
Craker said he hears from many people asking why marijuana can’t be prescribed as a drug. “They ask ‘why do I have to go to the back alley to get it.’
“All we want to do is investigate it [marijuana], isn’t that what we do in America?” he added. “I’m not in favor of it recreationally, but I think it deserves to be tested for medical purposes.”
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The Daily Collegian
Author: essica Sacco
Copyright: 2009 The Daily Collegian
Contact: jsacco@student.umass.edu
Website: The Daily Collegian - UMass professor Lyle Craker denied permission to grow and study marijuana on campus
