November 19, 2007

A New Hemp Hope for HIV-Positive Californians

A new medical marijuana clinic is scheduled to open this December in Riverside County, California, run by The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation (THCF), a nonprofit organization. Lenny Swerdlow, president of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, will be overseeing its operations, which will include writing letters of recommendation to patients—including those living with HIV—who may benefit from using marijuana medicinally, whether as an appetite stimulant or to offset medication side effects. The clinic will not sell marijuana (marijuananews.org, 11/10).

THCF currently manages other medical marijuana facilities in Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, requiring patients to submit their medical records before making an appointment. Patients are also subject to a physical exam.

California allows medical use of marijuana for those with written approval from a physician. However, federal law bans all use of the drug.

“I don’t want to put our seal of approval on it,” says Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the Riverside District Attorney’s Office. “[But] as long as a medical doctor is making the recommendation and there’s no dispensing, it falls within the confines of the law.”