HIGH COURT RIGHT TO SNUFF OUT MEDICAL POT

Many ill people will swear otherwise, but there is no scientific evidence
that marijuana can combat the debilitating effects of diseases or do so any
better than legal medication. Because of that lack of medical proof,
federal law makes no exceptions for use of the illegal drug.

The U.S. Supreme Court correctly refused to make such an exemption
yesterday. The justices examined the federal Controlled Substances Act and,
not surprisingly, found no such exception exists. Properly, they said it is
up to Congress, not the courts, to amend the nation's principal drug law.

Marijuana is said to help relieve nausea and cramping associated with
diseases such as cancer. However, there is no conclusive clinical research
that backs up those claims. One of the first such investigations has just
begun at the University of California. If such research demonstrates
conclusively that marijuana has specific medical usefulness, Congress
should consider amending federal law.

In the meantime, a cautious approach is warranted. A recent study by the
U.S. Institute of Medicine reported the following:

* There are more than 30 symptoms for which patients presently use
marijuana. Most of these uses are poorly studied.

* Marijuana's effects are limited to symptom relief, not cures of disease,
and are generally modest. For most symptoms, there are more effective drugs
already on the market.

* For patients who do not respond well to standard medications, or for whom
adjunct therapies are needed, the chemical ingredients in marijuana appear
to hold potential for treating pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and
vomiting, and the poor appetite and wasting caused by AIDS or advanced
cancer. For other conditions, the data are not encouraging.

* There is no compelling evidence that marijuana should be used to treat
glaucoma. And with the exception of painful muscle spasms associated with
multiple sclerosis, there is little evidence of the drug's potential for
treating migraines or movement disorders like Parkinson's disease or
Huntington's disease.

* Marijuana's potential as medicine is seriously undermined by the fact
that people smoke it, thereby increasing their chance of cancer and lung
disease.

Yesterday's high court ruling does not automatically reverse initiatives
passed by voters in Washington and several other states. However, it should
cause Gov. Locke and the Legislature to review recent actions of the
Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

The commission, which is charged with developing health care rules,
policies, and procedures in Washington, has been expanding the list of the
seven "terminal or debilitating medical conditions" for which marijuana may
be prescribed legally under the state law passed by voters in 1998.

Until there's hard, scientific evidence that the short-term euphoria
outweighs harmful effects of marijuana, our lawmakers have an obligation to
outlaw its use other than for research.