HIV patients who smoked three joints of marijuana per day for five days experienced relief from chronic foot pain associated with the disease, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported Monday in a rare U.S. study on medical marijuana. "These results provide evidence that there is a measurable medical benefit to smoking cannabis for these patients," said study lead author Dr. Donald Abrams, UCSF professor of clinical medicine. The study involved 50 HIV patients with sensory neuropathy, a peripheral nerve disorder that causes intense, sharp pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. The condition affects about one in three HIV patients. [continues 741 words]
HIV patients who smoked three joints of marijuana per day for five days experienced relief from chronic foot pain associated with the disease, researchers at UC San Francisco reported Monday in a rare U.S. study on medical marijuana. "These results provide evidence that there is a measurable medical benefit to smoking cannabis for these patients," said study lead author Dr. Donald Abrams, UCSF professor of clinical medicine. The study involved 50 HIV patients with sensory neuropathy, a peripheral nerve disorder that causes intense, sharp pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. The condition affects about one in three HIV patients. [continues 621 words]
HIV patients who smoked three joints of marijuana per day for five days experienced relief from chronic foot pain associated with the disease, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported Monday in a rare U.S. study on medical marijuana. "These results provide evidence that there is a measurable medical benefit to smoking cannabis for these patients," said study lead author Dr. Donald Abrams, UCSF professor of clinical medicine. [continues 775 words]
Advocates Hopeful Medical ID Cards Will Stop Highway Patrol Actions Medical marijuana patients are suing the California Highway Patrol to stop officers from confiscating the drug from motorists who have a doctor's permission to use it. The lawsuit was filed in state court Tuesday by Americans for Safe Access, a Berkeley advocacy group, on behalf of eight patients. The suit also names Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Bill Lockyer. But later this year users of medical marijuana will be able to apply for a state-issued ID card aimed to protect them from such seizures. [continues 342 words]
Crime, Homelessness Rise Among Substance Abusers Under Welfare Rules, Study Shows Eliminating cash-assistance and treatment programs for substance abusers doesn't necessarily motivate a move into the work force, according to a national study released Monday. Instead, alcohol and drug abusers tended to remain addicted -- eking out an existence on the streets or with family help until other benefits kick in at age 65. "This is a piece of a much larger picture of the aging baby boomers," said Jim Baumohl, professor at Bryn Mawr College and one of the study authors. "The poverty rate among aging baby boomers is so much bigger than the elderly today and will yield a large aspect of the population that will need support when they turn 65." [continues 469 words]
Study Finds Former Recipients Turn To Crime, Not Work Eliminating cash-assistance and treatment programs for substance abusers doesn't necessarily motivate a move into the work force, according to a national study released Monday. Instead, alcohol and drug abusers tended to remain addicted -- eking out an existence on the streets or with family help until other benefits kick in at age 65. "This is a piece of a much larger picture of the aging baby boomers," said Jim Baumohl, professor at Bryn Mawr College and one of the study authors. "The poverty rate among aging baby boomers is so much bigger than the elderly today and will yield a large aspect of the population that will need support when they turn 65." [continues 416 words]
Dr. Andrea Barthwell cringes when she hears phrases like "zero tolerance" and "gateway drug." This might seem like an odd reaction from the White House deputy drug czar, but then Barthwell is not your typical war-on-drugs hard-liner. Barthwell is the first physician appointed to a senior position in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy since the late 1980s. An African American who spent most of her career helping stem addiction among minorities and women with children in Chicago, she's also a Democrat. In fact, her nomination was backed by such liberal leaders as Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. [continues 993 words]
Dr. Andrea Barthwell cringes when she hears phrases like "zero tolerance" and "gateway drug." This might seem like an odd reaction from the White House deputy drug czar, but then Barthwell is not your typical war-on-drugs hardliner. Barthwell is the first physician appointed to a senior position in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy since the late 1980s. An African American who spent most of her career helping stem addiction among minorities and women with children in Chicago, she's also a Democrat. In fact, her nomination was backed by liberal leaders like the late Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. [continues 965 words]
