DEA APPROVES TEST OF FREE MARIJUANA FOR AIDS PATIENTS

SAN MATEO, Calif.--The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has approved
a program that will allow a Northern California county to give
government-grown marijuana to 60 AIDS patients in a study to assess the
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 proved 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 say. Those who support
marijuana's benefits say the drug also settles the stomach, builds weight
and steadies spastic muscles. They also say it relieves PMS, glaucoma,
itching, insomnia, arthritis, depression, childbirth pain 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.