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PATIENTS USING MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE HAIL REPORT BACKING CLAIMS

MARIJUANA--In the eyes of the law, they are criminals who
could go to prison for what they do every day.

But across the country, many chronically ill people say that smoking
marijuana provides significant relief for their often debilitating
symptoms.

``I can smoke a joint and five minutes later I can eat every last drop
of food,'' said Kiyoshi Kuromiya, 55, a Philadelphia AIDS activist who
uses marijuana to combat the nausea, appetite loss and wasting
syndrome common to AIDS patients.

Last week, the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM), an arm of the
National Academy of Sciences, issued a long-awaited report that lends
scientific credence to the potential medical benefits of marijuana
touted by Kuromiya and other activists for many years.