go, scientists, go
I spent part of last night listening to NPR. They had a discussion of the supreme court's current examination of California's medical marijuana laws. I was frustrated because none of the panelists seemed to know about (or at least did not refer to) the research our own government has done: research which (I believe) supports the effectiveness of marijuana for treating certain types of pain. No, I can't link to it just now. I read about this years ago and no longer remember where I got the information. I just remember that a) it was a source I perceived as reliable, and b) when the "war on drugs" started, they shut the program down. It might have made for bad press, after all, if people knew the feds were sending joints through the US mail each month to the 10 or so people participating in the study.
Today I was very pleased to see this fairly pointed editorial in the current edition of Scientific American.com. Really short form? It says that the United States government needs to loosen restrictions on testing marijuana, so that valid & viable research may be done as to whether or not marijuana is an effective treatment for pain.
Occasionally I have hope for the world. Then I remember just how small a percentage of the global population receives any training in scientific methods, and my hope dims somewhat. But for today, I will have hope.
When the first anti-opiate, anti-pot legislation started being passed in the early part of the 1900's, I wonder how much of that was pushed through by people with a financial interest in pharmaceuticals or alcohol?
Today I was very pleased to see this fairly pointed editorial in the current edition of Scientific American.com. Really short form? It says that the United States government needs to loosen restrictions on testing marijuana, so that valid & viable research may be done as to whether or not marijuana is an effective treatment for pain.
Occasionally I have hope for the world. Then I remember just how small a percentage of the global population receives any training in scientific methods, and my hope dims somewhat. But for today, I will have hope.
When the first anti-opiate, anti-pot legislation started being passed in the early part of the 1900's, I wonder how much of that was pushed through by people with a financial interest in pharmaceuticals or alcohol?