Federal Rx: Marijuana: “Recent polls indicate 70 to 80 percent of the public approves of medical marijuana. Yet when decriminalization advocates push for reform, the government counters that there isn’t enough research to warrant the reclassification of a potentially dangerous drug. This call for evidence operates in a circular way; the drug laws have prevented the accumulation of much data. Legitimate scientists who seek to perform controlled studies on cannabis face a daunting bureaucratic gauntlet. Additionally, officials have repeatedly ignored the findings of their own commissioned research panels, which argue that marijuana is a relatively safe substance and has medical applications.”