Marijuana mot hiv- och aidssymptom, m.m.

Från ScienceDaily:

Those who did use marijuana rate it as effective as prescribed or over the counter (OTC) medicines for the majority of common [HIV and AIDS] symptoms, once again raising the issue that therapeutic marijuana use merits further study and consideration among policy makers.

Studien sammanfattas sedan relativt fjärran den svenska debatten:

“Given that marijuana may have other pleasant side effects and may be less costly than prescribed or OTC drugs, is there a reason to make it available?” asks study leader Inge Corless.

Som ännu ett myrsteg mot ett bättre samhälle röstade även Illinoissenaten nyligen genom ett förslag om legalisering av medicinsk marijuana - från Physorg:

The Illinois Senate voted 30-28 in favor of a plan to let sick people use pot for relief from diseases like cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

Vidare på samma tema har Andrew Sullivan fortsatt sin serie med människor som beskriver sitt cannabisbruk - några exempel:

I am a stay at home Mom of a toddler, active in my synagogue and preschool. I also have suffered from secondary insomnia almost my entire life. Two or three nights a week I fall asleep, only to wake up 3 or 4 hours late. I am then unable to return to sleep for the rest of the night.

In my twenties, I had a cigar box full of marijuana that I left in a drawer by my bed. (I was never a recreational user, since smoking in the company of others made me feel paranoid.) If I woke up in the middle of the night, I would smoke a little, go back to sleep and wake up feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. But I stopped smoking when I met my now husband, since he didn't approve. Now my insomnia has gotten much worse since the birth of my child, with all the attendant middle of the night awakenings. [länk]

och:

I am autistic (Aspergers Syndrome) and have used cannabis to modulate the anxiety, intensity and aggression associated with my particular variant of AS for over 30 years. I first considered suicide at age 16 to escape the constant bullying in and out of school and the debilitating pain in my back that the doctors told me would probably mean a lifetime long addiction to opiates. The side effects of these medications were horrendous and left me in a constant daze. Being a straight-A student I chose instead to find a solution to my pain by trying every alternative therapy I could find.

I first tried cannabis at age 17. I quickly found that when I was medicated, people around me coped far better with my eccentricities. Like many ASDs I have a violent and explosive temper and am often described, especially by women, as a "Scary Guy." The cannabis increases my tolerance for interruption and also helps me be more extroverted and therefore social. [länk]