The federal government "loves to ignore our report," Dr. John Benson, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and co-chairman of the Institute of Medicine committee that examined the research into marijuana's effects, told The New York Times. "They would rather it never happened."

Other scientists agree that the FDA should base statements on research, not politics.

Dr. William M. Lamers, a consultant to the Hospice Foundation of America, which represents palliative-care centers across the country, told HealthDay: "It's too bad that instead of a statement like that, they [the FDA] don't put money into doing some really valid research. There is none being done now in the United States."

Compare the careful research conducted by the National Institute of Medicine with the approach taken by the FDA:

Ordinarily, when the F.D.A. addresses a thorny issue, it convenes a panel of experts who wade through the latest evidence and then render an opinion as to whether a substance is safe and effective to use. This time the agency simply issued a skimpy one-page statement asserting that "no sound scientific studies" supported the medical use of marijuana.

An editor at Scientific American argues that the FDA's opinion will further impede useful research into the health benefits of marijuana:

Back in December 2004, SciAm published "The Brain's Own Marijuana," by Roger A. Nicoll and Bradley N. Alger (you can read the entire text here). The article's deck tells the tale: "Research into natural chemicals that mimic marijuana's effects in the brain could help to explain--and suggest treatments for--pain, anxiety, eating disorders, phobias and other conditions."

The FDA undoubtedly wanted to mollify conservative senators who called for the report, while protecting its turf as the guardian of all things drug related. This isn't the first time the Bush administration's FDA has allowed ideology to triumph over science. The agency has no desire to allow states or citizen initiatives or scientists to set drug policy. As a sad result, we'll see more stories like this one:

For the first time in the city of Sacramento, federal drug agents on Wednesday conducted a search of what authorities said was a medical marijuana store.