Most American citizens would probably be surprised to learn that their own government has been both growing and distributing marijuana for decades. Yes that's right, the same government who refuses to recognize marijuana as a medicine, has been subsidizing a large medical grow in Oxford, Mississippi for the past 30 years. That place is called Medicinal Plant Garden, located at the University of Mississippi, Oxford. The facility is used to study various applications of marijuana. For example, the scientist grow marijuana to its genetic makeup, determining by the its potency , and to extract THC from plants they harvested. The Coy W. Waller Laboratory Complex is closely monitored, highly secure facility, which house's thousands of marijuana cigarettes and plants. In 2007 the university produced 880 pounds of marijuana for the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). The complex also analyzes samples of seized marijuana by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) from all over the United States and it send it to various researchers who have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  to conduct studies on the plant. In addition to research, the marijuana grown at the facility is also sent to the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina, for use in what is known as the "Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program (IND Program)". The program began back in 1976, when a man named Robert Randall was arrested for growing marijuana at his home. Forcing him to prove that the plants were necessary to help him fight off Glaucoma. Randall won his case, leading to the federal government allowing him marijuana, under the authority of the FDA. The program flourished in 1992, 13 other patients were receiving marijuana from the U.S. Federal Government- subsidized grown in Mississippi. At it's peak, the program had 35 total patients. During the HIV epidemic of the 1980's, hundreds of more applicants desperately tried to be added to the program. This led, however, to the eventual closing of the program to new applicants by the George H.W. Bush administration in the year 1992. Ironically, many argue that closure of the program by the government during this time led directly the formation of medical cannabis movement in the United States and is highly responsible for the outbreak of medical marijuana dispensaries in the U.S.A. today. As of 2011, only four patients remain in the IND program. All four patients continue to receive their medication from the federal government and each serve on the Board of Directors for a group called "Patients out of Time", a Virginia based non-profit organization that provides education on marijuana as medicine. To determine the long term effects if marijuana , In the year 2001, four remaining patients voluntarily underwent a series of laboratory tests and examinations in a study led by the world-renowned cannabis researcher, Dr. Ethan Russo. The resulting study known as the "Chronic Cannabis Use Study", revealed no evidence of harm from years of heavy cannabis smoking, and each patient was determined to be in overall "good health". One of the remaining patients, Mr. Irvin Rosenfeld, has written a book documenting his experience with his struggles to become a legal marijuana patient, titled "My Medicine: How I convinced " The U.S. Government to Provide My Marijuana, and helped launch a National movement". Dr. David Allen retired cardiac surgeon who now works as a medical marijuana physician, discusses another of the remaining patients, Miss Elvy Miesikka of Florida, and the IND program. Elvy Miesikka is one of the patients. She uses it for Glaucoma. It has saved her eyesight over the years and she been receiving this tin of federally-grown medical marijuana from Oxford, Mississippi, and its shipped to patients so they can have marijuana for their medicinal use. They receive different amounts, depending on their conditions.