Federal Medical Marijuana Exemptee
Jari Dvorak

    I have lived and worked with HIV for a long time. My HIV positive status was diagnosed in 1988. At the time of diagnosis, my immune system was already significantly impaired. I had to start on medications immediately. Since that time I continue with various medical treatments. The only medication available at the time of my diagnosis was AZT.  AZT caused me much grief, specifically:  fatigue, nausea, frequent flue like symptoms, muscle pain and memory impairment. At that time many people felt that AZT is more harmful than beneficial. The medical profession, while helpful, was also divided on the issue. Some physicians were hesitant to prescribe AZT while others were advising patients to take a double dose. Many of my friends quit AZT and indeed felt better, for a short time. I have contemplated quitting AZT several times and felt  very conflicted on this issue.

I knew that my body is unlikely to keep HIV under control without any medication. Eventually I realized that, in order to survive, I had to educate myself about medications. This was difficult since I had no medical background. But by researching various sources (reading of articles, Project Inform newsletters...), I was able to make up my mind. I decided to continue with AZT.  I was determined to go on working and living a normal life as long as possible. I soon learned that nausea and lack of appetite can be controlled by smoking marijuana.

The experience with AZT taught me that when it comes to selecting medications, I cannot leave the decisions entirely with my doctor. While I very much value the experience of my doctor, I also know that the decision has to be ultimately mine. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for the outcome. Since my diagnosis, I had to make informed decisions about medications on several occasions. Inevitably, the new medications are in the trial stages and long term effects are not fully known.

I'm a Professional Engineer by training. My field is research and development of telecommunications technology. After my diagnosis, I have continued to work successfully in various management positions in Research & Development. More recently, my health took a turn for the worse. I went on disability in February 1998.

To the extent that my health and energy permits, I work as an volunteer and an activist. I feel very passionately about the medical value of marijuana. In 1997 I teamed up with Neev Tapiero and Jim Wakeford, We got together to start CALM (Cannabis as Legal Medication), the first medical buyers club in Toronto. Also, I have been helping Jim Wakeford to get his court case underway.

More recently, I'm involved with medical marijuana research. I'm on the steering committee overseeing the first Canadian clinical study to determine how smoking of marijuana effects HIV/AIDS patients. This study is sponsored by the Community Research Initiative of Toronto (CRIT) and funded by Health Canada. Some medical marijuana activists feel ambivalent or suspicious of such research. Some of us feel that research is a waste of money, since we already know that pot works. They are suspicious that the Government's insistence on clinical research is another evasive tactic to delay our work. My view is that much of the need for clinical trials is political, not medical. I feel that research will enhance our case, not slow it down. Also, I know that there are researchers and scientists at CRIT, in Health Canada and other organizations who are genuinely interested to help. But they have to overcome the general lack of experience about medical pot use in the established scientific community (until recently, all research in marijuana was illegal). And they have to put up with politics that slow them down.

Cheers!

- Jari