CALIFORNIA CLINIC BARRED FROM DISTRIBUTING MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday barred a California clinic from distributing marijuana to patients for medicinal purposes, throwing into turmoil the state's groundbreaking law that allows the practice.

Acting on an emergency request from the Clinton administration, the court voted 7-1 to prohibit the operations of an Oakland cannabis club that is at the center of a four-year legal battle between the federal and state governments.

But the court's decision neither overturns the medicinal marijuana initiative that California voters approved in 1996 nor effectively ends distribution of the drug to patients around the state.

That main issue of Proposition 215's legality is still before a federal appeals court. And because of the uncertain situation - the federal government insists marijuana distribution to people with cancer, AIDS and other diseases is illegal - local governments around California continue to allow patients either to grow marijuana on their own or use it with the blessing of health departments. A few other cannabis clubs operate with local support; others have gone underground for the time being.

The Justice Department sought the Supreme Court's help after a federal court allowed the Oakland club to keep distributing marijuana to patients with a doctor's prescription. Federal lawyers had argued that the ruling set a dangerous precedent and provided a justification for illegal drug trafficking.

Five other states, including Washington, have approved the use of medicinal marijuana. The issue will be on the ballot in Nevada and Colorado in November.

Advocates for using marijuana medicinally said yesterday's decision would not have significant implications for most California patients who are using the drug.

"The clubs are only part of this - there are other ways that local governments are giving it their tacit approval and helping patients," said Gina Pesulima, a spokeswoman for Americans For Medical Rights, which led the campaign for the California law and others around the country.

Meanwhile, in an effort to determine whether marijuana actually has medicinal value, the University of California yesterday announced a new cannabis study center to include researchers, doctors and patients throughout the state.

While many cancer patients and others say marijuana relieves their suffering when other remedies prove useless, scientific proof has been limited, officials said.

Information from the Los Angeles Times is included in this report.