Cannabis and HIV: where do we stand with the research?

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV is a microorganism that wreaks havoc on the immune system. The cells that are part of the immune system, like white blood cells, help the body fight off infections caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria, and other foreign organisms.

Without this immune system, we cannot maintain our health for very long. These cells help create our natural immunity (our first line of defense) and our adaptive immunity (the antigen response that is distributed to stop certain infections). Because HIV destroys essential components of the immune system, patients are less equipped to fight everyday infections and more serious microorganisms.

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Although thorough surveys of medicinal cannabis users have not been conducted in the United States, smaller surveys show that most users are looking for relief from their AIDS symptoms. For example, each of the three California Marijuana Buyers’ Clubs, organizations that provide marijuana to patients visited by the IOM team, recorded that more than 60 percent of their members asked for AIDS treatment.

Cannabis and HIV: The Research

HIV is one of the most widespread diseases in the world. It was the deadliest in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Thanks to medical innovations and research, antiretroviral drugs have been made available to weaken this virus and improve patients’ lives. It is now time to address some studies examining the relationship between cannabis and patients with HIV.

Cannabinoids and Inflammation

Severe inflammation fuels many diseases. The very word “inflammation” has a negative reputation, but it actually helps with survival. Upon contact with an infectious microorganism, the immune system releases inflammatory cells and signals molecules to launch an attack against the invaders. However, some specific health conditions prevent the body from turning off this hostile attack. Over time, this process can begin to damage body tissues.

RELATED: Cannabis and Inflammation – What’s the Connection?

Although some components of the immune system are depleted due to HIV infection, others, such as B. monocytes, strongly activated. This can lead to systemic inflammation, putting patients at greater risk of developing neurological, cardiovascular, and bone diseases. Many HIV patients also exhibit an imbalance in their gut microbiome — the trillions of microbes that significantly affect immunity and inflammation.

Many HIV patients experience neurocognitive impairment and behavioral changes due to neuroinflammation caused by the virus. Various research teams have now set out to examine whether cannabis may play a role in reducing the inflammatory signals that produce this symptom.

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For example, a 2019 study published in the journal AIDS Care examined the past cannabis use of 138 HIV patients to determine if the herb affected their neurocognition. A similar study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome observed the effects of cannabis on neurocognitive impairment in six hundred and seventy-nine patients with acquired immune deficiency syndromes.

Additionally, a 2021 study sought to determine whether cannabis altered lower central nervous system inflammation in HIV patients. Researchers selected HIV-positive patients who used the herb daily, HIV-negative patients who did not use cannabis, HIV-positive patients who did not use cannabis, and HIV-positive patients with an average consumption pattern.

Cannabis and Immunity

With immunity issues at the heart of HIV, it is reasonable for researchers to attempt to analyze the effect of cannabis on the immunity of HIV patients. Although data from human studies remains sparse, in 2019 a group of researchers proposed a study protocol to examine the effects of oral cannabinoids on activating immunity in HIV patients.

The study concept provides for the recruitment of 26 HIV patients with an undetectable viral load for at least three years. The researchers randomly divided the recruits into two groups and gave each group oral capsules for 12 weeks; One group would be allocated capsules with a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD, while the other would receive a 1:9 ratio. The paper states that the study was approved by the McGill University Health Center Research Institute. However, the results are still unpublished.

pain and cannabis

A few hundred thousand patients worldwide are legitimately prescribed marijuana for a range of conditions, and severe pain is still among the most common. Studies aim to use ECS to relieve HIV-associated neuropathic pain as researchers continue to uncover the role of the ECS in pain signaling.

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In addition, a systematic review published in 2021 searched the current preclinical and clinical data from studies using endocannabinoids, cannabinoids and ECS enzyme inhibitors against strains of HIV. In terms of clinical evidence, the majority of investigations involved smoked cannabis.

HIV and CBD: Potential Downsides

The relationship between HIV and cannabis has not been established as the data collected so far is inconclusive. Additionally, cannabis has some clear downsides that will challenge producers and researchers over time. Although the plant contains over a hundred cannabinoids, THC and CBD are the most prominent in most strains.

While THC has psychotropic side effects (which can aggravate various mental health disorders), CBD is known to cause stomach upset and fatigue in some people and to interact with a variety of pharmaceutical drugs.

bottom line

Since being classified as a virus in 1981, Human Immunodeficiency Virus has killed over 35 million people. The deadly virus originated in animals and spread to humans through hunting practices. Once the pathogen enters the body, it attacks key immune cells, weakening patients’ immune systems and making them vulnerable to everyday infections.

Researchers are now investigating whether cannabis could be linked to HIV symptoms as science continues to use the herb and its compounds to treat a wide range of health conditions. So is there a future to look forward to with cannabis and HIV?

Fortunately, support for legal marijuana continues to grow, and several nations have already implemented cannabis programs. As acceptance of cannabis increases and data from human testing accumulates, many more conclusions could be drawn about the effects of cannabis on HIV patients.

This article originally appeared on Cannabis.net and has been republished with permission.