Washington Blade - September 26, 2003

OTTAWA (AP) - Some of the first patients to smoke Canada's government-approved marijuana say it is "disgusting," and they want their money back. Health Canada, the federal health department, started selling marijuana in July to bring relief to patients suffering from AIDS, cancer and other diseases. The move followed a court order that patients should not be forced to get their marijuana from drug dealers on the streets. But some of the first to buy the government's marijuana say it is no good. "It's totally unsuitable for human consumption," said Jim Wakeford, 58, an AIDS patient in Gibsons, British Columbia. Wakeford and Barrie Dalley, a 52-year-old Toronto man who uses marijuana to combat the nausea associated with AIDS, are returning their 1-ounce bags, and Dalley is demanding his money back - about $195 plus taxes. Wakeford is returning his unpaid bill for two bags with a written complaint. The marijuana is being grown for Health Canada deep underground in a vacant mine section in Flin Flon, Manitoba, by Prairie Plant Systems on a contract worth about $7.5 million. Ten patients have registered with Health Canada to buy marijuana directly from the government to alleviate their medical symptoms. Another 39 applications are pending. No patients have complained directly to Health Canada so far, spokesperson Krista Apse said, and the department will not accept returns or provide refunds.

Activists allege gays are ignored in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - Campaigns to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS here have drawn fire from gay activists, who criticized the health department and non-governmental groups for ignoring gays in prevention efforts, the Cape Times reported. Between 12 and 30 percent of gay men in South Africa have HIV/AIDS, estimates the Triangle Project, which works with gays. But gay sex is not addressed by the government's LoveLife campaign, programs at schools or by information provided at clinics, activists complain. One of Cape Town's most prominent gay men, Rowan Smith, who is dean of St. George's Cathedral, said the lack of education puts gay men at greater risk for HIV. "Young people are struggling with their sexuality, and there's nothing to address the sexuality of gay people," he told the Times.

Merck starts first global human trial of HIV vaccine

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. (AP) - Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. said it started the first global human tests of an experimental AIDS vaccine, working with the Seattle-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network. The experiment, which will include about 435 adult volunteers not infected with HIV, is meant to determine if the vaccine candidate is safe, has tolerable side effects and is practical to administer in different parts of the world. Researchers will also determine whether the vaccine stimulates an immune response in people. The study is being conducted in 18 cities in North America, South America, the Caribbean, southern Africa and Southeast Asia. Using such diverse testing sites is important because different strains of the virus circulate in different regions. The vaccine is made from a modified cold virus and does not contain any live HIV, so it cannot cause HIV infection.

Survey: Most doctors believe HIV patients have increased heart risk

CHICAGO - Nearly 80 percent of surveyed physicians say that HIV-positive patients receiving antiretroviral treatment are at an increased risk for cardiovascular complications, according to results from physician and patient surveys released in a supplement to the peer-reviewed journal JIAPAC. Physicians listed smoking, antiretroviral therapy and family history as the top three risk factors associated with cardiovascular complications. The surveys of nearly 600 physicians and patients were conducted by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), the group said in a press release. "The rapidly shifting sands in this arena make it imperative that physicians remain cognizant of and fully educated about potential cardiovascular complications and their effects on the long-term treatment of HIV-positive patients," Aberg writes.

World Bank warns of AIDS epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

MOSCOW (AP) - World Bank experts warned last week that certain regions of Eastern Europe and Central Asia face an explosive AIDS epidemic that endangers the economic progress of the region. "The Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region is experiencing the world's fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemic," the World Bank said in a report. Annette Dixon, director of operations in Europe and Central Asia, warned that the economic and social gains made in the region since the fall of the Soviet Union could be reversed if the spread of AIDS is not checked. "In the face of non-action we will see reduced levels of economic growth, increased levels of poverty and many of the other social and economic stresses related with uncontrolled AIDS epidemics," Dixon said.

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