by Joshua Mccracken

Created on: May 22, 2009   Last Updated: May 24, 2009

I am an AIDS patient and a journalist in Augusta, GA. On March 18th 2009, for the first time, I disclosed my diagnosis to hundreds of thousands of locals in my front page story entitled, "Smoking Your Meds" (can be found via a google search), where I presented compelling arguments in favor of legalizing medical marijuana for treating medical conditions; including symptoms associated with AIDS and cancer and their treatment's respective symptoms.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, widely known as HIV, is believed to be the virus that causes AIDS. To date, scientists have been unable to isolate and identify the virus, which is detected only by the presence of antibodies that suggest it's presence and a low T-helper/cd4 count. The average healthy person with a functioning immune system has a cd4 count of around 1000. The cd4 count is a measurement of T-helper cells in a tiny drop of blood about the size of a pea.

Most often, an HIV positive individual is considered to fit AIDS category after their cd4 count drops below 200 or they become subject to certain opportunistic infections. T-helper cells are specialized cells that help the body fight off infection. .

In today's world, HIV and even AIDS is most often treatable (not curable) and patients who have access to treatment are able to live for decades like normal people, for the most part.

Being open about my own disease was extremely difficult because I whole-heartedly expected to become subject to the same stigmas and discrimination that I have come to fear. One such misguided stigma that is still widely believed is that HIV is specifically a gay disease, or that it can only infect sexual deviants who engage in extraordinarily promiscuous behavior. I have learned first hand that neither stereotype is valid. Statistics show that heterosexual hiv infections are on the rise.

Surprisingly, the publication of my article has been met with a very warm reception. In America, our educational system has played a very important role in this. People seem to realize that HIV cannot be spread through casual contact. It can't be spread through toilet seats, hugging, or handshakes and there don't seem to be any known cases where the disease was transmitted by kissing or even being the recipient of oral sex. Despite the fact that my own case appears to be unique in this respect, I am well aware that given the right climate, the stigmas still very much exist.

Despite progress in the educational system, we're still falling short

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