Researchers found that the HCV patients "were significantly more likely to remain on HCV treatment for at least 80% of the projected treatment duration, 95% versus 67%."

In the article published by the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the researchers from the University of California, San Francisco medical school and the Organization to Achieve Solutions in Substance-Abuse (OASIS) conclude that: "modest cannabis use may offer symptomatic and virological benefit to some patients undergoing HCV treatment by helping them maintain adherence to the challenging medication regimen." Bottomline, Hep-C patients were three times more likely to have an undetectable virus level six months after the end of treatment.

In a companion article by six addiction treatment specialists, who consider the implications raised by this research, the authors note that "there is substantial evidence that cannabis use may help address key challenges faced by drug users in HCV treatment (e.g., nausea, depression), especially when such treatment occurs in the context of methadone maintenance treatment which may amplify these consequences." They conclude with a call to action on behalf of patients: "we advocate that in the interim existing barriers to cannabis use are removed for drug users undergoing HCV treatment.."

In the second case, that of atherosclerosis, the new research published in Current Opinion in Lipidology found that in a "mouse model of atherosclerosis, Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] was shown to inhibit disease progression through pleiotropic effects on inflammatory cells." The researchers from the Foundation for Medical Research in Switzerland found that all disease effects were "abolished" by the THC treatment. The scientists conclude by noting that: "The immunomodulatory capacity of cannabinoids is now well established and suggests a broad therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for a variety of conditions, including atherosclerosis."

Sources:  "Cannabis use improves retention and virological outcomes in patients treated for hepatitis C." European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, October 2006.