Marijuana helps patients stay on medication

[WhiteTara]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-09-13T152933Z_01_N12370634_RTRUKOC_0_US-MARIJUANA.xml

and yet another benefit from the miracle herb.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Recovering drug addicts who are infected with hepatitis C virus may stick to their medications better if they are allowed to use marijuana, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

Smoking or eating cannabis may help them tolerate the side effects of the antivirals, which can clear the virus but often cause fevers, chills, and muscle and joint aches, the researchers said.

Diana Sylvestre and colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco tested 71 recovering substance users given interferon and ribavirin to treat their hepatitis C -- which is common among injecting drug users.

About a third of the patients also used marijuana.

Half of the marijuana users were successfully treated with the antivirals, versus 18 percent of those who did not use cannabis, the researchers reported in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

And just 14 percent of the cannabis users relapsed, compared to 61 percent of non-smokers.

[razors edge]

1. if some of that good Hawaiian

i used to get in the 80's was my prescription, I stay on it for sure.

[razors edge]

2. delete

dp

[Pushed To The Left]

3. Another reason why America's drug laws are completely insane

I bet that if it was discovered that an illegal drug cured cancer or AIDS, the right wing and the drug warriors would still want to keep it unavailable.

[midnight]

4. Is there any where in the States that this drug is legal?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. Some states have decriminalized it for personal use and some

allow medical marijauna (CA for example), but technically federal law still overrules the state laws regarding it.

NORML provides detailed legal information regarding it on their site.

[tridim]

7. It's legal in Denver

But the feds have already warned us that they overrule our laws. Assholes.

[midnight]

9. I found an interesting piece of info. that made me wonder.

Opiates are all illegal,but we make them available for pain relief. Makes one wonder what all the hold up is about?

[madokie]

10. I take hydrocodone and burn a litte smoke

actually the smoke works better for the pain. If I had to give up one or the other it will be the hydrocodone, I worry about the liver problems associated with the tylenol ingredient

[slay]

6. Wow!

K&R for the great news. :smoke:

[Philosoraptor]

8. cough cough kick

[eppur_se_muova]

11. "If you take all your medicine, we'll let you smoke some pot." "OK."

BRILLIANT!

in a similar vein: Mom rewards son for doing homework - with pot
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060912/NEWS99/60912013