A new study found smoked marijuana to be safe and effective at treating peripheral neuropathy, which causes great suffering among diabetics. Diabetic nerve disease, or "peripheral neuropathy," is the most common complication of diabetes, affecting up to 62% of Americans with diabetes.

This type of pain is caused by damage to the nerves and can make patients feel like their feet and hands are on fire, or being stabbed with a knife. This type of pain responds poorly to conventional pain medications -- even addictive, dangerous narcotics. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a majority of patients had a greater than 30% reduction in pain after smoking marijuana. For many, that level of relief means having a significantly improved quality of life and for some it actually permits return to careers cut short by debilitating symptoms of neuropathy.

Our government spends a lot of money campaigning the "War on Drugs" to convince us that marijuana is an addictive and dangerous drug. When the US Government assumes the responsibility to make my mind up for me - sometimes I fear the decision is made from a capitalist perspective and not entirely with my best interest in mind. There is nothing fair about taking away someone's ability to decide for himself. Everything about federal medical policy should be reconsidered, based on science, common sense, and simple human decency.

Scientists in Germany are reporting development of a urine test that finally can identify athletes who misuse certain kinds of insulin in an illicit attempt to enhance performance.

An article scheduled to appear in an April edition of Analytical Chemistry says it is possible to detect the misuse of insulin in a urine sample. Scientists had not attempted to develop a test in the past because of the presumption that it was impossible to detect misuses of insulin. Because insulin is rationed and used efficiently by the body, a byproduct of insulin would be theoretically undetectable. However, with the advent of the newer long-acting insulin analogues, scientists are now able to identify degradation product in the urine.

The test does not identify residue from the use of two other forms of long-duration insulin. However, the test does identify the misuse of Lantus, manufactured by Sanofi-aventis. Determination of long-acting insulin analogues in urine is especially helpful for doping control purposes. The procedure provides a fast and reliable way to identify the misuse of the long-acting insulin analogue LAN in regular doping control specimens.