# MPP: Help stop DEA obstruction of medical marijuana research



## triprey (Sep 1, 2007)

C&P from stopthedrugwar.org

*MPP: Help stop DEA obstruction of medical marijuana  research*


Posted in In the Trenches by David Guard on Wed, 08/29/2007 - 7:51am   Would it surprise you to learn that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  is refusing to allow medical marijuana research to move forward  despite a  clear recommendation from its own administrative law judge to let such research  happen?
 If youre like me, this will be just the latest outrage from the same agency  that insists on terrorizing and arresting medical marijuana patients and  providers who are complying with state law and their doctors advice.
*Would you please take one minute to ask your U.S. House member to direct  the DEA to permit medical marijuana research to move forward?* MPPs  online action center has done all the work for you; just click a few buttons and  your letter will be sent.
 (Congress provides the DEA with 100% of its funding  all of it taxpayer  money  so the DEA is more likely to listen to members of Congress than just  about anyone else.)
 In February of this year, DEA Administrative Law Judge Mary Bittner  recommended that Professor Lyle Craker and the University of Massachusetts be  granted a license to grow research-grade marijuana that would be used in FDA-  and DEA-approved clinical studies into marijuanas therapeutic uses, noting that  it would be in the public interest to do so. But the DEA has ignored her  recommendation and continued to block the research.
 And earlier this month, during a hearing before the U.S. House Judiciary  Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, DEA official Joseph  Rannazzisi refused to commit to a timeline for ruling on the University of  Massachusetts application ... even implying that the DEA might just wait until  after a new presidential administration takes power in January 2009!
 This is the height of hypocrisy. The DEA continually cites insufficient  research as a reason for keeping medical marijuana illegal  while  simultaneously blocking the very research thats needed to persuade the FDA to  approve marijuana as a prescription medicine.
 How can the DEA hide behind the FDA in arguing against medical marijuana  access, and then block any attempt to move marijuana through the FDA approval  process?
 Would you please  take one minute to ask your U.S. House member to stop letting politics  interfere with research into the medicinal value of marijuana?

Thank you,
Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy  Project
Washington, D.C.


----------



## bigfatpothead (Oct 23, 2007)

High Rob,

Jack Herer and I just (Oct 1st) filed an initiative with the hopes of complete legalization. We could really use some money from MPP or someone to help pay for the collection of the signatures needed.

When the initiative gets on the ballot, I am sure the PEOPLE of California will vote it through.
here is a link to the Attorney Generals site

_http://ag.ca.gov/cms_pdfs/initiatives/i733_07-0064_Initiative.pdf_

Thanks
Roland A. Duby
Assistant to Jack Herer


----------

