DEA-APPROVED STUDY WILL GIVE AWAY MARIJUANA

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 23 (AP) - The federal 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 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 proven difficult, however, as lawmakers struggle to agree
on prescription and distribution guidelines.

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.