Get ready for a spate of news articles that will promote another reason to legalize marijuana for medical use because “Marijuana May Help HIV Patients Keep Mental Stamina Longer.” That is the title of a news release issued by Michigan State University this week about a new study one of its faculty members, Norbert Kaminski, and others have published in the journal AIDS.
“It’s believed that cognitive function decreases in many of those with HIV partly due to chronic inflammation that occurs in the brain,” explains Dr. Kaminski. “This happens because the immune system is constantly being stimulated to fight off disease.”
The researchers took blood samples from 40 people with HIV, some of whom used marijuana, some of whom did not. They isolated the white blood cells from each donor and exposed those cells to THC, one of many cannabinoids in marijuana.
They found that cannabinoids such as THC were able to act as anti-inflammatory agents that reduced the number of inflammatory white blood cells and decreased the proteins they release in the body.
“This decrease of cells could slow down, or maybe even stop, the inflammatory process, potentially helping patients maintain their cognitive function longer,” explains Dr. Kaminski.
“It might not be people smoking marijuana,” he continues. “It might be people taking a pill that has some of the key components found in the marijuana plant that could help.” [Emphasis added.]
While Dr. Kaminski clarifies that he is talking about cannabinoids, that information does not come until the end of the MSU release, while its headline attributes marijuana to this potential breakthrough for HIV patients. Now legalization advocates have one more arrow in their quiver to convince legislators that marijuana is a miracle drug. Worse, the confusion raises the hopes of HIV patients based on one in vitro (test tube) study using cells from 40 people. Much more research is needed before such hopes may – or may not – be realized.