There's no reason to reinvent the wheel for medical marijuana

There's no doubt marijuana shows some promise as a useful drug -- even Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent recently came out in support of its medical use.

There is legitimate evidence that it is, or might be, effective in treating conditions and side effects of illnesses such as glaucoma, cancer, epilepsy and other types of seizures, anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis, obesity, lupus, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, PTSD, stroke, brain concussions and trauma, nightmares, nausea and lack of appetite from chemotherapy and even alcoholism.

While some of those benefits are already proven, others have yet to withstand scientific scrutiny.

Gov. Pete Ricketts opposes medical marijuana legislation making its way through the Legislature, saying the state should wait for the FDA to determine whether the product is safe and effective.

Marijuana is still an illegal drug as far as the federal government is concerned, which puts the state at risk, Ricketts said in his weekly column.

While it's always risky for a Nebraska politician, especially a Republican, to appear to be "soft" on drugs or crime, Ricketts has a point.

The FDA is responsible to determine whether drugs are safe and effective, and should be allowed to do just that when it comes to marijuana and its components.

It should not, however, delay approval just because a major pharmaceutical company might not have a stake in the outcome.