WASHINGTON -- The government has restated its opposition to the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The Food and Drug Administration issued an opposition statement Thursday.
It said that the FDA and other federal agencies found no scientific studies supporting the safety or efficacy of marijuana for general medical use.
The agency said "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."
But the statement contradicts a 1999 finding from the Institute of Medicine that found that marijuana's active ingredients are "potentially effective" in treating pain, nausea, the anorexia of AIDS wasting and other symptoms.
The Institute, a division of the National Academy of Sciences, called for clinical trials.
Bruce Mirken, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project said, "If anybody needed proof that the FDA has become totally politicized, this is it. This isn't a scientific statement; it's a political statement."
Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder, chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on drug policy, has said promotion of medical marijuana "is simply a red herring for the legalization of marijuana for recreational use."
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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