Cali smoke
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A win for marijuana research
Friday, February 19, 2010
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.
Friday, February 19, 2010
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.