mary jane

[daisy]

The question of the effect of marijuana use on aids mortality is an important one. Marijuana use has been advocated as a therapeutic adjunct to ameliorate the nausea and loss of appetite commonly associated with the wasting syndrome in aids.
We have provided substantial evidence that the increased risk of aids mortality in the total study cohort probably resulted from uncontrolled confounding by homosexual behavior.
Other studies have reported a substantially higher prevalence of marijuana use in homosexual and bisexual men, supporting the hypothesis that
marijuana use is a marker for homosexuality or bisexuality.

There are several other potential explanations for the increased risk of aids in marijuana users. Marijuana smoking might theoretically place aids patients at increased risk of infection because of its irritative effects on the respiratory system or because of infectious contaminants (e.g., fungi) in marijuana. Other potential explanations include marijuana use as a result of
having hiv and aids, rather than preceding the disease;
and possible immunosuppressive properties of marijuana.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dope/body/mortality.html

[daisy]

The risk of mortality associated with marijuana use was lower
than that associated with tobacco cigarette smoking.

A new research shown that smoking, already linked to several illnesses, may also increase the risk of infection with hiv, the virus that causes aids.

In a review of studies that looked at the association between smoking and hiv, British doctors said five of the six studies they analysed showed
smokers had a higher chance of becoming infected.

About 40 million people worldwide are living with hiv/aids.
Nearly 5 million were newly infected in 2005 and
more than 3 million adults and children died of aids in the same year.
www.ndri.com/news/smokers_may_have_link_to__higher_risk_of_hiv_-76.html