cannabisnews.com: Medical Pot Used by One Third of Ont. HIV Patients Medical Pot Used by One Third of Ont. HIV Patients Posted by CN Staff on November 25, 2003 at 20:49:03 PT By Michael Smith Source: Medical Post Toronto -- Almost one in three HIV patients in Ontario is using marijuana for medical reasons, according to a study presented at the 2003 Ontario HIV Treatment Network research conference.Of HIV-positive Ontarians, 29% use marijuana medically—almost double the 14% rate found in a British Columbia study published in 2001, said study presenter Michelle Furler, a PhD student in pharmaceutical science at the University of Toronto. But the rate is consistent with research on medical marijuana use among HIV-positive people in the U.S., she said.The difference may arise, Furler suggested, because the B.C. survey was conducted through that province's drug access program. Patients may have been wary of being truthful.By contrast, the Ontario survey was based on in-depth interviews on complementary and alternative medicines with 104 people (55 of them men) across the province between 1999 and 2001, as well as on chart reviews using the HIV Ontario Observational Database.Questions about marijuana came late in the interview, when the subjects were comfortable with the process, she said.The result is also consistent with a questionnaire-based anonymous survey carried out in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal by researchers preparing for a randomized controlled trial of marijuana in HIV-positive people, said Sergio Rueda, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, who was one of the authors of the three-city study.That survey showed about 37% of HIV-positive patients were smoking the drug, he said. The response rate, however, (40%) was "very, very low."In the Ontario study, 43% reported they had smoked the drug for any reason during the year before their interview, but 29%—about two-thirds of the smokers —said they had used it for medical reasons.The main goals were to gain weight or increase appetite, aid sleep, and alleviate nausea and vomiting. Significantly more women than men (45% versus 5%) used the drug for pain management.Furler said she and her colleagues found clear differences between those who used the drug for therapeutic purposes and those who used it for fun.Strikingly, medical users were 10 times more likely to be poor—with a family income of less than $20,000 a year—and three times more likely to be unemployed. Furler said the cause of the link between poverty, unemployment and medical marijuana use is hard to tease out. "We can't say why it happens, we can just say it happens," she said.But, she added, it is possible poorer health is linked to inability to work, which might lead to a greater need for medical marijuana. On the other hand, the study showed no statistical differences in the usual markers of ill-health in HV patients— CD4 cell count and viral loads.As well, she said, medical users smoked the drug more often—40% reported daily use, compared to 13% of the non-medical users.For the physician treating HIV patients, the study raises a red flag: 73% of the medical users thought their doctor was aware of their drug use, but only 23% of their medical charts reflected that fact.By contrast, Furler said, 27% of those who used the drug for recreation said their doctor knew about it and 20% of the charts recorded the marijuana use.Note: Rate is double that of British ColumbiaComplete Title: Medical Pot Used by Nearly One-Third of Ont. HIV Patients Source: Medical Post (Toronto, Ont.)Author: Michael SmithPublished: November 25, 2003 Vol. 39 Issue 43Copyright: 2003 The Medical PostContact: medpost rmpublishing.comWebsite: http://www.medicalpost.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadians for Safe Access http://www.safeaccess.ca/Canada Court Eases Medical Marijuana Rulehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17494.shtmlCanada Eases Rules on Growing Medical Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17492.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 26, 2003 at 11:06:19 PT DeVoHawk Perfect! I forgot that song but I agree! [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by DeVoHawk on November 26, 2003 at 11:02:44 PT Blood Sweat and Tears FOM I agree and I think Blood Sweat and Tears "And When I Die" Sums it up:Give me my freedom for as long as I be All I ask of livin' is to have no chains on me All I ask of livin' is to have no chains on me And all I ask of dyin' is to go natrually, only wanna go naturally [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 26, 2003 at 09:07:50 PT Virgil Yes the bill that passed was bad. I hope and pray I never need to take any prescription drugs. Heck I haven't seen a doctor since around 94. I plan on just dieing before I'd need to take gads of drugs to try to hang around longer. I don't want to go by the way of drugs if that makes sense. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Virgil on November 26, 2003 at 08:56:26 PT The Perfect Storm The AIDS crises only deepens on the advent of the GW launch of its extracts. The warning label on the delivery devices will be news. The uses for which prescription will be allowed will be news. We have just seen a terrible pill bill pushed through NaziCongress and the media is spinning it as if seniors approved it. Employee contributions on health care on dramatic rise with a million people losing all employer health coverage come January 1. If GW extracts are allowed to be used for AIDS patients on its introduction, we will really have a perfect storm. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by jose melendez on November 26, 2003 at 04:49:51 PT Like They Didn't Know http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-bc-ny--airportarrests1125nov25,0,3208146,print.story?coll=ny-top-headlines [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by jose melendez on November 26, 2003 at 02:50:24 PT Prozac Pushed to Kids http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1828/a03.html?397 Expose Fraud [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 25, 2003 at 21:55:40 PT Richard Cowan: Battle for Canada: Part II http://www.pot-tv.net/ram/pottvshowse2318.ramRichard Cowan Continues with His Special Report, The Battle for Canada, Part 2:'John Walters': Testimony to the Canadian Parliament.Why The Prohibitionists Fear An Honest Debate Above All Else.Was Walters involved in the Iran-Contra Drug Trafficking Cover-up? http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2318.html [ Post Comment ] Post Comment