A WIN FOR MARIJUANA RESEARCH

Marijuana comes with controversy, trouble and opinion - but little
science. That's why a UC-backed study, partial as it is, is welcome.

The study, actually five small ones with two more under way, found
that smoking modest amounts of the drug can alleviate pain and muscle
spasms linked to multiple sclerosis and several other conditions. It
confirmed popular wisdom that pot eases physical discomfort - the
prime argument of the medical marijuana movement.

But it's not the final word in judging the weed's worth. That can
only come with more studies, and California doesn't have the money to
pay for further research by the Center for Medical Cannabis Research
at UC San Diego. The White House has eased up on crackdowns on
medical marijuana, but there is no talk of a federal study that might
match or expand on the UC work.

It may be too late for science, at least in this state and 13 others
that have approved medical use of the drug. Since 1996, when voters
approved Proposition 215 allowing for medical marijuana, the
substance has become quasi-legal. Pot clinics have sprung up by the
hundreds, and a determined buyer can usually find a sympathetic
doctor who will prescribe cannabis.

The new study should serve to justify a humane approach toward pot's
use. It adds badly needed research in an area where there's been
surprisingly little. But the findings stop short of full blessing for
legalizing marijuana.