Pubdate: Thu, 10 Oct 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Helen Branswell, Canadian Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

MUNCHIES MAY BE JUST WHAT DOCTOR ORDERS: RESEARCHERS

TORONTO -- Will marijuana-induced munchies help people with HIV and AIDS 
combat nausea and avoid the weight-loss that the disease brings on? 
Researchers in Toronto are hoping to find out. Canada's first 
government-sponsored trial of medicinal marijuana in HIV/AIDS officially 
started yesterday, led by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and the 
Community Research Initiative of Toronto.

"I think the time is right to look at this," said principal investigator 
Dr. Kevin Gough, medical director of HIV services at the hospital.

"Let's find out what role, if any, that smoked cannabis has in, not only 
HIV and AIDS, but other medical illnesses as well."

Advocates of medicinal marijuana believe the drug can be useful for a wide 
range of conditions. Anecdotal evidence suggests it helps in pain control, 
curbs nausea brought on by chemotherapy or HIV/AIDS drugs, and stimulates 
the appetite of people who have lost interest in eating as a result of 
their conditions or medications.

But anecdotal evidence doesn't cut it when you are asking a government to 
allow large numbers of ill people to buy and smoke what is still an illegal 
substance. So Health Canada has authorized research to gather clinical 
evidence that may have implications for Canadian policy, and that will 
likely be scrutinized by governments outside Canada as well.

The current study is a pilot to gather information that will be used to 
design a larger, multi-centre clinical trial. The pilot phase, involving 32 
participants with HIV/AIDS, is expected to last about a year.

All participants will have smoked marijuana before. Because there is little 
consensus on any risks associated with marijuana use, researchers can't 
ethically ask people to take the drug for the first time for a study.

But only people who haven't used the drug in the previous 30 days will be 
eligible to take part. That's to ensure there are no lingering effects of 
non-study marijuana in their systems.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager