Medical marijuana activists sue

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Medical marijuana activists in San Francisco are suing the federal government saying regulators should retract statements that marijuana has no medical value.

"Citizens have a right to expect the government to use the best available information for policy decisions,'' lawyer Alan Morrison told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The group Americans for Safe Access sued two agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration, in U.S. District Court, the New York Times reported. The group said by stating marijuana has no medical value, regulators have issued "false and misleading statements" about the medical benefits of marijuana, the Times said.

The lawsuit claims the agencies have ignored studies documenting the benefits of medical marijuana, including a recent study at San Francisco General Hospital that found smoking marijuana helped relieve pain in the hands and feet of HIV-positive patients.