"Government OKs Marijuana Use for AIDS Patient"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Government OKs Marijuana Use for AIDS Patient"

United Press International (12/18/89)
Anderson, David E.

Abstract: Washington--The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last Wednesday issued permission to a 33-year-old Texan with AIDS to use marijuana to ease the nausea, vomiting, and pain caused by the disease and the drugs used to treat it. The man, identified only as Steve, will receive prescription marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which controls the government's stock of the illegal drug. Washington, D.C.'s Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics disclosed the FDA's action. Robert Randall, president of the group, said, "This is a significant breakthrough for persons afflicted with AIDS and for all those seeking legal, medically supervised access to prescription marijuana." Randall noted that the drug is not a cure for AIDS, nor is it appropriate for every AIDS patient. However, he added that "marijuana can significantly improve the quality of life available to those patients who are unable to eat and suffer severe weight loss." Steve currently faces charges in Texas for using marijuana to treat himself.

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