“There are dozens of HIV/AIDS drugs on the market which reduce viral loads in the body and ease certain symptoms, but also cause unpleasant side effects such as headache and nausea. As a complementary medication, could cannabis improve the lives of HIV and AIDS patients?”

“If you have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, you might wonder if marijuana — medicinal or recreational — can help or if there are risks. The key treatment for HIV is antiretroviral therapy (ART). Some people use marijuana not to treat the virus itself but to ease HIV-related symptoms like weight loss, appetite problems, and nerve pain.”

“Survey data indicates that cannabis is used by as many as one in three North American patients with HIV/AIDS to treat symptoms of the disease as well as the side effects of various antiretroviral medications.”

“From the earliest days of the HIV epidemic, marijuana (cannabis) has been used to treat many of the complications of the disease, ranging from the symptoms of HIV wasting syndrome to side effects associated with antiretroviral drug use.”

“Marijuana has been used by people living with HIV since the early days of the epidemic. Today, a growing number of people with HIV may be using marijuana, and the drug itself has changed dramatically from a plant that’s usually smoked to a diverse menu of plant-based and synthetic products.”

“I have AIDS for 3 years now.  Through the use of cannabis I reduce the amount of scripts I take from 13 to 6 in a year. I have not had to use a cane on a regular basis anymore.”

“It’s been shown in numerous studies that marijuana, or cannabis, can be useful as a therapeutic treatment for patients who live with HIV/AIDS.”