wow

"This is, to our knowledge, the first NIDA-approved study for the use of marijuana in the outpatient setting."

Medicinal marijuana use seen to improve adherence to anti-HIV therapy

Last Updated: 2005-02-11 16:55:59 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - HIV-infected patients with chronic nausea who use marijuana to combat the problem are more likely to adhere to antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a report from California. This contrasts with the use of other illicit drugs, which is linked to poorer compliance.

"Moderate to severe nausea is not uncommon during the course of HIV disease and may significantly impact quality of life and limit patients' tolerance of and adherence to ART," Dr. Dennis M. Israelski, from Stanford University School of Medicine, told Reuters Health.

"Patients may not infrequently resort to the use of marijuana for purely medicinal purposes, including amelioration of side effects associated with antiretroviral treatment," he commented.

Dr. Israelski and colleagues examined the relationship between marijuana use and adherence to ART in subgroups of patients with nausea and other clinical characteristics. Overall, there was no association between marijuana use and ART adherence, the team reports in the January 1st Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

When patients were analyzed by subgroup, however, patients with moderate to severe nausea who used marijuana were 3.3 times more likely to be adherent to their ART regimen as those who did not smoke marijuana.

Among patients without nausea, the researchers note, marijuana users were only about half as likely to be adherent as nonusers of marijuana.

There was no association between adherence and gender, age, ethnicity, low quality of life, pain, or use of specific classes of ART, the report indicates, but adherence was worse among patients who used other illicit drugs or alcohol.

"Our data do suggest that use of smoked marijuana specifically for amelioration of nausea may be associated with adherence to ART among patients with HIV/AIDS," the authors conclude.

"Given the estimated prevalence of about 25% of marijuana use among patients with HIV/AIDS (in our population), more formal characterization of the patterns and impact of cannabis use to alleviate HIV-associated symptoms is warranted," Dr. Israelski said.

"We are, at present, conducting a randomized clinical trial study to evaluate the feasibility and safety of the use of marijuana for patients with HIV/AIDS in the outpatient setting," Dr. Israelski said. "This is, to our knowledge, the first NIDA-approved study for the use of marijuana in the outpatient setting."

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2005;38:43-46.

[Bodhi]

That's great! I mean around here you could consider that common knowledge but to the rest of the world, this is defintely reason enough to do further testing into the legitimate medical uses of cannabis. I especially like the distinction this article makes between MJ and other drugs.

Thanks for sharing hillbillie =)