Marijuana May Ease AIDS Patients' Foot Pain

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While Murray acknowledged that cannabinoid-based medications have a "great deal of promise and potential," he said they need to be purified first. "Smoked, raw marijuana is not that avenue. It's a cul-de-sac, it's a dead end," he said.

But another expert had more praise for the study. Dr. Mark Wallace, professor of clinical anesthesiology and program director of the Center for Pain Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, applauded the study, saying it was well done. "There are very few studies of this kind looking at inhaled cannabis and pain, and they are difficult to conduct," he said. "The authors should be commended."

And what about the fact that patients get high when they smoke pot?

"Although subjects will report high levels of 'highness,' my studies showed little effect on cognition," Wallace said. "Other studies have shown little effect on motor tasks. Also, the pain relief does not seem to correlate with the feeling of highness, in that when subjects come down from the high, they continue to feel pain relief."

So, should AIDS patients with nerve pain begin smoking marijuana? Ask your doctor, Abrams advised.

Moe information

For more on AIDS-linked foot neuropathy, head to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.