University of Massachusetts at Amherst professor Lyle Craker's underdog quest to grow marijuana for research received a big boost recently from Massachusetts Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry. Right now, the University of Mississippi is the only place in the United States with federal permission to grow marijuana, and Craker is arguing that his stuff would be stronger than the inferior Mississippi product. The senators from Massachusetts wrote in a letter to Drug Enforcement Administration head Karen Tandy that Mississippi has an "unjustifiable monopoly" on the production of marijuana for medical and research purposes. The resulting lack of competition "jeopardizes important research into the therapeutic effects of marijuana" for patients with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and other diseases, the senators wrote. The professor and his supporters hope this high-profile support could make the difference when the DEA decides whether to grant Craker approval to grow marijuana, probably within a month. What they really want now is to get a Republican, Governor Mitt Romney, on board. But a Romney spokeswoman said last week that he hasn't had an opportunity to review the project and form an opinion.