FDA rejects medical marijuana

The FDA has rejected the use of marijuana for medical purposes, sparking a new round of accusations that the agency is more concerned with politics than science when it comes to certain therapies. According to the FDA, there are no sound studies that support the medical uses of marijuana and no data that demonstrates its efficacy. That conclusion disregards a 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine that marijuana's active ingredients are a potential treatment for pain, nausea and AIDS-induced anorexia. Said one critic: "This isn't a scientific statement; it's a political statement."

- here's the Seattle Post-Intelligencer article for more information