NEW YORK, NEW YORK — People with multiple sclerosis have long said that smoking marijuana helps ease their painful muscle cramping. And a new clinical trial suggests they are not just blowing smoke.

The study, published Monday, found that for 30 MS patients with muscle ‘spasticity,’ a few days of marijuana smoking brought some relief.

Some people with MS are already using medical marijuana to treat certain symptoms, including spasticity — when the muscles in the legs or arms contract painfully, in something akin to a ‘charley horse.’

There is some science behind the idea: The body naturally produces cannabinoids, the group of chemicals found in marijuana. And studies have suggested the cannabinoid receptors on our cells help regulate muscle spasticity.

But the evidence that pot smoking actually helps with spasticity has been anecdotal.

‘We’ve heard from patients that marijuana helps their spasticity, but I think a lot us thought, ‘Well, it’s probably just making you feel good,” said Dr. Jody Corey-Bloom, the lead researcher on the new study.

‘I think this study shows that yes, (marijuana) may help with spasticity, but at a cost,’ said Corey-Bloom, of the University of California, San Diego.

The cost, her team found, is that smoking caused fatigue and dizziness in […]