hagerp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Paul Hager) (11/05/90)
The following post is forwarded. Please edit your attribution
lines accordingly.
-----------------------begin forwarded post-----------------------
From: ames!chinet.chi.il.us!gsa (George Acton)
To: hagerp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Cc:
Status: RO
An acquaintance who is HIV positive pointed out to me that of the
people he knows who are also positive, the ones in good health
are all moderate but habitual users of cannabis. The ones who
are symptomatic or deceased have been non-users or only occasional
users. He could think of 7 healthy users and a similar number of
non- or light users who had progression of the disease.
Has anyone else noticed an association like this? I did
a quick check of the literature and found no reports showing
connection with HIV progression one way or the other. Even
anecdotal information would be of interest, considering the
potential significance of this.
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I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Acton about this at some
length. While we agree that the probability is low that cannabis might
actually be efficacious in retarding the progression of HIV, we also
agree the anecdotal evidence does merit a more systematic look. He
pointed out that there is probably enough data already out there for a
retrospective examination to determine whether or not cannabis use
correlates with disease progression. Were such an analysis to show a
correlation, one way or the other (particularly if cannabis use DID
offer some protection), it would clearly justify a more thoroughgoing
medical study.
Alas, the political climate these days is distinctly hostile to any
suggestion that cannabis might have medical potential; remember that
cannabis is a Schedule I drug. Still, science should, in principle
if not it practice, be above politics.
I would like to echo Dr. Acton's call for discussion about HIV progression
and cannabis use. The net is a wonderful resource for information
exchange and maybe in an informal net discussion we could see whether
or not others have observed the HIV/cannabis correlation.
--
paul hager hagerp@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu
"I would give the Devil benefit of the law for my own safety's sake."
--from _A_Man_for_All_Seasons_ by Robert Bolt