FDA Not In Favor Of Legalizing Medical Marijuana

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has categorically ruled out endorsing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. This decision contradicts an Institute of Medicine report in 1999, which had said that marijuana, also called as pot, was useful in certain conditions like AIDS wasting, chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting and cancer cachexia.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the FDA stated that "no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States, and no animal or human data supported the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use." This stand taken by the agency also pus question marks over states like Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington that have legalized the use of marijuana as a medicine. The FDA is not in favor of legalizing the use of marijuana even if it is for medical purposes. "These measures are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are proven safe and effective.," it said. The FDA's decision means that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) can take action against marijuana users even in states that have legalized it. Last year, a Supreme Court decision also found favor with authorities who arrested two California residents who were using the drug to relieve pain. One had brain cancer and the other severe back pain.