STUDY: MARIJUANA DOESN'T HARM IMMUNE SYSTEM

About AIDS

August 11, 2000: A while back we addressed the approval (at last!) of a
clinical trial protocol for studying the impact of marijuana on HIV-positive
people. There is strong anecdotal support for using marijuana as a treatment
adjunct with several diseases, principally HIV and cancers, to address
certain symptoms and drug side effects, such as nausea, appetite loss,
weight loss, and stress. However, concerns (aside from legality) have been
raised about marijuana suppressing immune function.

Study results were presented in July at the XIII International AIDS
Conference in South Africa. Subjects either smoked THC content-controlled
marijuana, took the drug Marinol (artificial THC), or took a placebo. (THC
is marijuana's active ingredient.) All patients with undetectable viral
loads (VL50/ml) remained undetectable; all those with measurable VL
experienced some improvement. Obviously, then, pot does not negatively
affect the immune system, or viral loads would have risen, not declined,
among THC-consuming patients. (An argument might actually be made for the
immune-boosting benefit of stress reduction, but that was not the study
question.) An even more dramatic outcome was seen in caloric intake and
weight gain: The THC consumers gained significantly, with smokers doing
best. Maintaining weight and avoiding wasting are a major positive sign in
HIV disease management.

The study was initiated by the National Institutes of Health, which supplied
the controlled marijuana. The outcomes hardly surprise HIV+ people or their
experienced physicians: The study shows no demonstrable negative immunologic
impact from marijuana and, indeed, some benefit in weight gain. (Other
lesser questions are still being investigated.) Now we need address the
legal issues, and let medical science, not moralistic politics, drive
clinical decisions.

For details, read the study's summary at
www.ucsf.edu/pressrel/2000/07/071302.html.