Dem Peppers Again

Written By Ricardo Pereyda

🏛️ KIT’S SPICY POLICY PRIMER

The New Mexico Cannabis Compassion Reports (1983): A Federal Record of Medical Efficacy and Neglect

Based on IND #14-614, New Mexico Health & Environment Department
Archived by Ricardo Pereyda | IVLC | July 2025

🔎 OVERVIEW

Between 1981 and 1983, under FDA-approved Investigational New Drug (IND) protocols, the State of New Mexico conducted a federally sanctioned clinical program providing cannabis (THC) to terminal cancer patients. Administered in partnership with the University of New Mexico Hospital, this effort:

  • Delivered smoked and oral THC to patients via hospital pharmacy

  • Tracked symptom relief, medication interactions, and patient response

  • Demonstrated significant therapeutic benefit in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea, pain, appetite loss, and opioid reduction

These findings were reported monthly to federal agencies, with full documentation of:

  • Dose administration

  • Patient demographics and conditions

  • Outcome assessments by form (oral/inhaled), age, and sex

  • Clinical notes on psychosocial context and side effects

Despite clear evidence of benefit and manageable risk, the program was quietly ended in the early 1990s, and the broader federal Compassionate IND Program was shuttered to new patients in 1992.

📜 POLICY CONTEXT & PRECEDENTS

✅ Regulatory Basis

  • FDA-Approved IND Protocol: IND #14-614 (THC for antiemetic use)

  • Federal Supply Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  • Legal Pathway: 21 CFR §1307.03 – Exemption from prohibition for research use

  • Clinical Oversight: State health departments, licensed physicians, and hospital pharmacies

🔬 Medical Precedent

  • Therapeutic Indications Studied:

    • Chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting

    • Appetite loss

    • Pain and opioid overuse

  • Delivery Forms Studied: Inhaled cannabis cigarettes and oral THC capsules

  • Key Findings:

    • High rates of symptom relief

    • Some patients reduced or ceased opioid use

    • Psychological side effects rare, and mostly tied to patient history/stigma

📊 POLICY RELEVANCE TODAY

🚫 Current Federal Conflict

  • Cannabis remains Schedule I, defined as:

    "No currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States"

  • These archived records refute that claim with:

    • Government-administered THC dosing

    • Medical documentation of accepted therapeutic use

    • Hospital-based implementation and physician monitoring

🧠 Research Suppression

  • Despite efficacy shown, federal agencies:

    • Restricted further research

    • Denied or delayed Schedule I rescheduling petitions

    • Closed the Compassionate IND to new patients

    • Ignored integration into VA or federal healthcare systems

📌 POLICY IMPLICATIONS

1. Federal Scheduling Reform

  • These documents are evidence of accepted medical use under government oversight.

  • Policy recommendation: Immediate removal of cannabis from Schedule I (CSA §812).

2. Veteran Access Reform

  • Veterans today face:

    • Criminalization under federal law

    • Limited access at VA facilities

    • Stigma-induced underreporting of cannabis use

  • These archives prove that federal patients once received cannabis legally.

  • Policy recommendation: Reinstate or expand Compassionate Cannabis Access Programs (CCAPs) through the VHA.

3. Truth and Reconciliation in Drug Policy

  • The suppression of this program represents:

    • Scientific negligence

    • Ethical betrayal of terminal patients

    • Institutional erasure of compassionate care

  • Policy recommendation: Launch a federal cannabis truth commission, acknowledging past harm and guiding reparative measures for impacted communities.

4. Mandated Archival Transparency

  • Key findings from government-run cannabis programs remain buried or inaccessible.

  • Policy recommendation: Declassify, digitize, and disseminate all federal cannabis clinical reports from 1968–1992 (NIDA, FDA, DEA, HEW).

⚖️ LEGAL STRATEGY SUPPORT

These documents can now serve as:

  • Exhibit A in federal rescheduling litigation

  • Evidence base for Congressional hearings

  • Testimony support in state/federal reform efforts

  • Petition support for HHS/DEA administrative challenges under the CSA

🪖 VETERAN ADVOCACY ANGLE

The IVLC and allied groups can leverage these reports to:

  • Press for federal recognition of cannabis as medicine

  • Demand uniform VA policy grounded in historical precedent

  • Frame access to cannabis as a continuation of service-connected care

  • Justify calls for federal dispensary pilot programs for veterans

📎 APPENDICES (Suggested Additions)

  • Timeline of the Compassionate IND Program (1976–1992)

  • Full transcription excerpts of New Mexico reports

  • Redacted patient case summaries

  • DEA/FDA correspondence citing IND approval

  • Robert Randall and Lynn Pierson case references

📣 CALL TO ACTION

We recommend Congressional and agency review of the following actions:

✅ Immediately investigate and disclose suppressed federal medical cannabis trial data
✅ Deschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act
✅ Establish a Veterans Cannabis Access Pathway within the VA
✅ Create a federally regulated “Cannabis Compassion Access Program” for terminal and trauma-impacted populations

Prepared by:
International Veterans Leadership Committee
With AI-assisted archival analysis by ChatGPT (OpenAI, July 2025)
Historical sources: 1983 New Mexico Health and Environment Department Reports, IND #14-614

Ricardo Pereyda
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