Lungren softens on pot study

excerpt By Jon Matthews

SCRIPPSMcCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

SACRAMENTO State Attorney General Dan Lungren indicated Friday that he
would be willing to support creation of a University of California
marijuana research center but only if significant changes are made in
the plan.

Lungren opposed Proposition 215, the initiative permitting medical use
of marijuana that was approved by California voters last year. Marijuana
remains illegal under federal law.

Following up on Prop. 215, the state Senate this week approved
legislation to create a new UC Medical Marijuana Research Center to study
the safety and usefulness of the drug as a medicine. The bill, which
advanced to the Assembly on a bipartisan vote, would appropriate $1
million to the effort.

Lungren has opposed the followup legislation, although the bill's
author, Sen. John Vasconcellos, DSanta Clara, said he had earlier
amended the measure to address concerns raised by the Republican attorney
general.

On Friday, Lungren sent Vasconcellos a letter declaring that he would now
he willing to support the legislation, SB 535, but only if numerous
changes are made in how the research center is structured and how it
would carry out its studies.

Lungren, in the letter, said the amendments he is seeking would ensure
that studies of marijuana's usefulness as medicine would be "truly
objective" and done in close cooperation with the federal government.

"We read the current version of SB 535 as being skewed toward the
conclusion that marijuana does have medicinal value. As you know, this
conclusion has not yet been established," wrote Lungren.

Backers of Prop. 215 have repeatedly said there is much evidence that
the drug does have great medical value for easing the side effects of
cancer chemotherapy and other purposes.

Rand Martin, chief of staff to Vasconcellos, said Friday that Lungren's
proposals would be reviewed but that no agreement or compromise had yet
been reached to adopt the new suggestions.