Man Claims He Uses Pot to Fight AIDS

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Man Claims He Uses Pot to Fight AIDS

Washington Times (12/19/94) P. C6

Jerome Mensch, a 43-year-old dairy farmer, will argue at a preliminary hearing today that he needs marijuana to help fight the effects of HIV. When Mensch was arrested in November 1993 for possession of marijuana, he told officers he needed the drug to combat the nausea and weight loss associated with his illness. His lawyer will present testimony showing that marijuana is the most effective medicine Mensch can find. To be allowed to use the defense, the lawyer must prove that his client's life is at risk, that there were no reasonable alternatives, and that the use of the drug is not disproportionate to his medical needs. Dr. Douglas Ward, who says he wishes he could prescribe marijuana to all his AIDS patients, says that he has seen an improvement in Mensch's condition since he began smoking the drug. "What it does is, it makes him better able to respond to other medications," said Ward. Mensch began using marijuana in 1992 after having taken AZT and another anti-viral drug--both of which caused symptoms such as numbness, diarrhea, nausea, and appetite loss. For Mensch, the marijuana has eliminated the nausea, helped him regain weight, and allowed him to return to working 15 hours a day on his farm.

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