So when chemotherapy patients say marijuana makes them feel less nauseated, it's difficult to conclude whether their stomachs are settled or whether being high clouds their physical symptoms. What's more, pot's recreational reputation scares away grant money for studies. And private drug companies are reluctant to spend research dollars on a natural substance that will carry no patent royalties. For all its prohibitions, marijuana remains popular. Physician David Butcher of the Kansas City Free Health Clinic said that about a quarter of his HIV-positive patients use marijuana, although only 5 percent to 10 percent use it for medicinal purposes.
Users speak of it almost religiously, a salvation from dry heaves and disappearing pounds.
He and most of his friends smoked pot for fun before AIDS came along. And, he admits, sometimes the line separating his medicinal and recreational use of the drug is blurred. As for its legal standing, the drug remains plentiful and comparatively affordable.