According to a report commissioned by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, marijuana may be one of the most effective treatments available for people living with serious diseases like AIDS and cancer. In a news conference held earlier this week, Dr. John Benson of the independent Institute of Medicine declared that the 18-month study had "uncovered an explosion of new scientific knowledge" about how marijuana might be used in a medical context. In addition to confirming that marijuana relieves such side effects as nausea, pain and loss of appetite, the report states that the drug is not particularly addictive and does not lead to the use of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

The study does state, however, that the long-term medical use of smoked marijuana should not be generally recommended due to its potential health risks. Instead, the report stresses that new research should seek to design a non-smoked form of marijuana that would have the same quick action as smoked marijuana. It remains to be seen if this report will bring about changes in U.S. policy regarding the medical use of marijuana. In Canada, Health Minister Allan Rock announced earlier this month that his department would be developing guidelines for clinical trials of marijuana as medicine. Treatment advocates hope that the American report will urge Mr. Rock to initiate bolder moves in this area.

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See the new official recommendations for investigation into medical marijuana at:
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/marimed

See also the article Appetite Stimulation: Megace, Medicinal Marijuana, and Marinol.