What's Not To Like

Dr. Kathleen Boyle of the UCLA Drug Abuse Research Center has a problem.

The social psychologist began a two-year study last July on the use of medical marijuana by people with AIDS. The university-funded project seeks to document both the satisfaction (or not) of med-mar users and their issues and concerns. The hitch is that Dr. Boyle can't find anyone who's used it and says it doesn’t work for them.

Boyle has been holding focus groups with members of three groups: the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center (a local cannabis club) as well as Being Alive and the Women Alive Coalition, two community-based AIDS organizations. She's found that patients find pot wonderfully efficacious for relieving nausea due to drug therapy and pain management, and adds that "they also notice a psychological benefit, i.e., relief of depression and anxiety." The primary concerns of users are driving after medicating, the potential side effects of smoking any substance and, not surprisingly, getting busted. Although medical weed is technically legal in California with a doctor's recommendation, that hasn't stopped law enforcement from arresting sick people.

While Boyle placed an announcement in the AIDS Project Los Angeles newsletter and put up signs at the community orgs, not one dissatisfied customer has stepped forward. "It would lead you to the conclusion that everyone who's tried it has liked it," says Boyle. "I don't think that's possible. There's nothing that everybody likes or works for everybody. I'm reluctant to come to that conclusion. I feel like if I hand in a report that says it works for everybody, it would be unbelievable."

If you have AIDS, have tried medical marijuana, and it ain't, shall we say, your bowl of tea, you can reach Dr. Boyle at (888) 333-1764, Ext. 241.

Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Weekly, Inc.

News : Archives : January

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.