Cannabinoids in People Living With HIV on Effective Antiretroviral Therapy: A Pilot Study to Assess Safety, Tolerability and Effect on Immune Activation

Exclusion criteria

• 1. Using cannabinoid-containing products outside of the study or within 4 weeks of study commencement 2. Pregnant, breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant during the course of the study. Female participants must undergo a pregnancy test and obtain a negative result in order to qualify for study participation. 3. Enrolled in a separate study involving administration of medication, vitamin, supplement or herbal product. 4. Active intravenous drug users 5. Active substance dependence 6. Prior history of hypersensitivity to cannabis or cannabis-containing products 7. Known or suspected allergy to sunflower lecithin oil 8. Active opportunistic infection or malignant condition 9. Unintentional weight loss of 10 % or more of body weight in the last 6 months 10. Unstable angina or acute cardiac event in the past year 11. Active psychiatric disorder or history of psychiatric depression (other than mild depression or anxiety); On antipsychotic medication 12. Known or suspected family history of schizophrenia or severe personality disorder 13. Serious cardiovascular disease such as ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, poorly controlled hypertension, or severe heart failure 14. Anemia (Hemoglobin \<100 g/L) 15. Active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations of serum transaminases 16. Co-infection with Hepatitis B or C (positive HBsAg or positive anti-HBc antibodies with a detectable HBV DNA viral load or positive anti HCV antibodies with a detectable HCV RNA viral load) 17. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alkaline phosphatase \>2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) 18. Active AIDS event in the last month as determined by the treating physician 19. Renal dysfunction 20. Unstable psychological or psychiatric condition as determined by the treating physician 21. Holding employment which requires operation of heavy machinery or which requires undergoing drug screening (i.e., pilot or police officer) 22. Concurrent use within the past 8 week of anabolic hormones, prednisone, IL-2 or other agents known to alter immune function.