Newshawk: http://www.drugsense.org/donate.htm
Pubdate: Sun, 4 Jul 2010
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Webpage: http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15437322
Copyright: 2010 The Denver Post Corp
Contact: openforum@denverpost.com
Author: John Ingold, The Denver Post
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?253 (Cannabis – Medicinal – U.S.)
MEDICAL-MARIJUANA ADVOCATES SEEKING SOCIETY’S APPROVAL
The liquid inside the test tube is neon green, the color of lime
Kool-Aid or the mad-scientist potions found only in comic books.
Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that the contents come with a whiff of
danger. They are a mixture of marijuana and solvents, stirred
together in a furious swirl by a lab technician wearing protective
goggles and latex gloves.
Running the concoction through a $70,000 machine, the technician can
learn with scientific precision the plant’s unique chemical makeup,
its potency, even its growing method.
The ultimate goal? Find out how good it is.
“We’re not going to be taken seriously unless we have proof,” said
Michael Lee, the owner of the lab and its adjacent medical-marijuana
dispensary, Cannabis Therapeutics.
This is the new science of pot, part of a fresh wave of study and
innovation among scientists and cannabis advocates all seeking to
solve a central dilemma: In Colorado and other states, first came the
approval of marijuana as medicine. Next comes the challenge of
proving its effectiveness.
The newest research leaves little doubt that marijuana — or at least
its chemical components — has promise in alleviating symptoms of
some ailments, while also making clear that the drug is not without
its drawbacks, some potentially serious.
[snip]
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10.n518.a03.html