August 29, 2003

Marijuana Does Not Accelerate HIV Infection, Study Shows

Source: www.expatica.com
August 29, 2003

Smoked cannabis and oral THC given over a course of 21 days did not adversely affect CD4+ cell counts or viral loads in HIV-infected patients, according to a study led by Dr. Donald Abrams at the University of California in San Francisco. In fact, there was a small non-significant positive effect of cannabis and THC on these laboratory parameters compared to placebo. Cannabis and THC also increased appetite and caused weight gain.

The study started in May 1998 and results were presented at the ICRS Meeting in June 2000. However, they needed more than 3 year to get published in a medical journal, which is quite a long time and raises the question whether there was pressure to delay the publication.

All of the patients had been receiving the same anti-HIV medication for at least 8 weeks before the study began. 62 study participants were eligible (marijuana group, 20 patients; dronabinol group, 22 patients; and placebo group, 20 patients). Although not statistically significant, compared with placebo use the application of marijuana and THC was associated with a slight drop in viral load of 15% and 8%, respectively.

See: http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/study.php

Source: Abrams DI, et al. Short-term effects of cannabinoids in
patients with HIV-1 infection: a randomized, placebo-controlled
clinical trial. Ann Intern Med 2003;139(4):258-266; Reuters of 18
August 2003.