There has been a lot of research done in the past decade regarding cannabis use by those living with HIV, all of which shows positive mental and physical benefits. Some of these benefits include combating anxiety and depression, increasing appetite, and suppressing nausea. But despite these findings, many healthcare providers have been reluctant to recommend it to their HIV positive patients because of a lack of research on the how frequent cannabis use interacts with antiretroviral medications—until now.

The study, recently published in The International Journal of Drug Policy, was actually quite extensive and monitored the cannabis use of HIV patients over a ten-year period. Not only did the research show that frequent and even daily use of cannabis had no harmful impact on antiretroviral therapy, it also had positive benefits like alleviating some of the medications negative side effects. One study even reported that cannabis using patients were three times more likely to adhere to their antiretroviral therapy regimens than those who did not use cannabis.

This is great news since research shows that as many as sixty percent of HIV/AIDS patients self-medicate with cannabis, as reported by NORML, the leading organization which promotes the herb’s legalization. In fact, the more research that is done, the more positive benefits are discovered for those living with HIV. There has even been research that suggests that cannabis use can actually suppress and block the spread of HIV in the body. Researchers and marijuana advocates are hopeful that these findings will continue to fuel more research and speed up the legalization process of this very beneficial medication.