A Brief Interview with Prof. Lyle Craker

Lyle E. Craker is a professor of botany at the University of Massachusetts who has been trying to get permission from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to study marijuana since June, 2001. In December, 2004, his application was rejected. In a recent article in the local Amherst newspaper, The Republican, Craker was quoted as saying, “What we’re attempting to do is to test this plant to see if it actually has any clinical benefit.” This article caught my eye and I immediately called Prof. Craker for a brief interview. 

Prof. Craker started the interview by emphatically denying that he supports marijuana use in general. He mentioned that he does not think that the drug should be legal for recreational purposes and that he is not an advocate for cannabis. Yet, Prof. Craker believes that there are probably some therapeutic aspects of marijuana and that this field of research needs to be revitalized. After all, eleven states presently recognize medical marijuana as a legitimate source of therapy and many more appear to be heading in that direction. The federal government officially regards medical marijuana as a hoax and it frequently overrides the states’ decisions on this matter. More research would only serve to advance knowledge of marijuana’s potentially therapeutic effects. 

So, why would the DEA reject a seemingly legitimate application for studying the potential clinical uses of marijuana? Prof. Craker contends that the Drug War has made the DEA a “popular political force” which senses an obligation to protect society from the harm caused by drugs. Craker emphasizes his belief that the federal government does indeed have a legitimate role in protecting human beings and animals within the field of scientific research. However, despite his sympathy for the duties of the DEA, he finds this explanation to be rather unsatisfactory for denying an independent inquiry into the potential uses of a plant.