A July 20, 2004 article by the Associated Press reported:
"The government is violating federal law by obstructing medical marijuana research, scientists contend in lawsuits seeking faster action on applications to grow the drug.
In lawsuits to be filed Wednesday [July 21, 2004], researchers assert that Washington is refusing to act on legitimate research projects and delaying studies that could lead to marijuana's use as a prescription drug.
'There is an urgent need for an alternative supply of marijuana for medical research,' said Lyle Craker, director of the Medicinal Plant Program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the main force behind the lawsuits.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], part of the Health and Human Services Department [HHS], 'maintains a monopoly on research marijuana. Many researchers believe that NIDA's monopoly is an obstacle to getting needed studies done on a timely basis,' Craker said in a statement.
