Dagga 'not medicinal'
21/04/2006 20:31  - (SA)  

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Washington - US food and drug regulators said there is no scientific evidence showing that marijuana has any medicinal value, according to a statement published on the Food and Drug Administration's website.

The FDA rejected the findings of the venerated Institute of Medicine, which ruled in 1999 that "there are some limited circumstances in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical purposes." The IOM report had noted that "nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety ... all can be mitigated by marijuana" for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or for patients emaciated from the ravages of Aids.

Nonetheless, the FDA ruled in Thursday's statement 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."

It added that "there is currently sound evidence that smoked marijuana is harmful."

California and 10 other US states have authorised doctors - through referendums or state legislation - to prescribe marijuana for various medical conditions, including Aids, cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis.

But last year, the US Supreme Court ruled that all marijuana use is illegal, authorizing the federal government to stop anyone from using the drug, even for medical reasons.

- AFP

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