Compiled by GayToday

London, England--Peter Tatchell is a speaker at the "Legalize Cannabis March" in London this Saturday, June 16.

He says cannabis legalization is a gay issue because most people with HIV in the United Kingdom are gay, and cannabis has tangible health benefits for people with HIV.

Tatchell also believes cannabis should be legal for the same reason as gay sex: individual liberty and freedom to choose.

"It is disappointing that no gay or HIV organizations are backing calls for the legalization of cannabis. The majority of people with HIV in the UK are gay and bisexual men, and cannabis has demonstrable health benefits for people with HIV. That makes cannabis legalization a gay issue.

"Research in the 1990s by Dr Lester Grinspoon at Harvard Medical School in the US showed that cannabis enables HIV-positive people to cope better with the stress of diagnosis and, by stimulating their appetite, reduces weight loss. It can also help relieve the nausea, vomiting and diarrhea often associated with HIV illnesses and combination therapy.

"Given the tangible medical benefits of cannabis to HIV-positive people, AIDS organizations should support the march.

"These organizations are vociferous in demanding universal access to anti-HIV drugs, even ones with dangerous side effects, such as AZT. They should be equally strong in their advocacy of access to safe, medically-beneficial cannabis", said Peter Tatchell.