CALIFORNIA COUNTY TO GIVE MARIJUANA TO AIDS PATIENTS IN MEDICAL STUDY

SAN MATEO, California (AP) -- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has
approved a program that will allow a northern California county to give
away government-grown marijuana to 60 AIDS patients in a study to assess
drug's potential health benefits.

The 12-week study in San Mateo County could begin as early as January,
county supervisor Mike Nevin said. The DEA approved it Wednesday.

"What we could end up with is scientific proof that this is a medicine that
should be prescribed by doctors," Nevin said.

In 1996, Californians passed Proposition 215, which allows possession,
cultivation and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Implementation of
the measure has proven difficult, however, as lawmakers struggle to agree
on prescription and distribution guidelines.

Dr. Dennis Israelski, chief of infectious diseases at the county's
hospitals and clinics, will oversee the study. The San Mateo County Health
Center will provide marijuana to HIV and AIDS patients who suffer from
neurological disorders.

Supporters of the study hope it will determine whether marijuana relieves
pain and increases appetites as many users claim. Believers in marijuana's
benefits say the drug also settles the stomach, builds weight and steadies
spastic muscles. They also says it relieves PMS, glaucoma, itching,
insomnia, arthritis, depression, childbirth and attention deficit disorder.

Nevin opposes decriminalizing marijuana, but said its medicinal value needs
further evaluation.

"To disallow the drug to people who need it is a crime," he said.