Only a few more weeks are left for us to lobby the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to provide marijuana for Dr. Donald Abrams' FDA-approved study on the effectiveness of marijuana vs. marinol for treating AIDS Wasting Syndrome. Dr. Abrams, of the University of California at San Francisco, has tried for over 2 1/2 years to hurdle the many bureaucratic obstacles government agencies have placed in his way. The DEA has refused to grant an import permit to obtain marijuana legally from a Dutch pharmaceutical corporation that has offered to donate it, leaving NIDA the only legal source.

Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) reports that this research project was discussed at a meeting of NIDA's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse on February 7th. NIDA Director Dr. Alan Leshner said "Obviously, this is an issue that we must be very careful to review properly ... It will probably be a couple of weeks yet before we are done with the review." Dorothy Preslar, of the Federation of American Scientists, read the statement FAS adopted last November, recommending that "the federal government should remove legal barriers to research, provide direct or indirect financial support for such research and, in the meantime, allow continued and expanded use of the drug under a compassionate research program for patients whose doctors prescribe whole marijuana." The FAS statement also specifically endorsed Abrams' research. Dr. Douglas Ward, a DC physician who specializes in AIDS cases, called on NIDA to release marijuana for the study, noting that one of his patients had been charged with marijuana possession and is facing the possibility of jail. Two council members made comments strongly indicating that they favored letting the study begin.

Several U.S. Senators and Representatives have written letters to DHHS expressing their support for Dr. Abrams' research. We need more, however, ESPECIALLY REPUBLICANS. Please call the offices of your Representative and your two Senators; ask for the name of the staffer who deals with health and/or drug policy issues. Then write to all three, with the request that your Senator or Representative write to Secretary Donna Shalala in support of NIDA providing marijuana for Dr. Abrams FDA-approved study (IND #43,542). Include her address:

Dr. Donna Shalala
Secretary for Health
Dept. of Health & Human Services
200 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20201

Some points for your letters:

• Basic scientific freedom is at stake here.
• NIDA has provided marijuana to research institutions on a regular basis for decades.
• The FDA has already examined the important medical issues, and they approved the study.
• While DHHS and NIDA hesitate, thousands of Americans either go without the medicine they need, or risk incarceration to obtain it.
• Several members of the House and Senate have already written supporting letters to DHHS.
• Even Newt Gingrich has sponsored medical marijuana legislation in the past (H.R. 4498, 1981).

Any member of Congress can be reached through the Congressional Switchboard, (202) 224-3121.
Address for any member of Congress:

The Honorable {your Senator/Rep.}
US Senate/US House of Representatives
Washington, DC, 20510/20515

BE PERSISTENT! Congressional staffers are likely to let this issue drop if it isn't brought before them repeatedly.