Patients with illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, and Multiple Sclerosis say marijuana relieves pain and reduces nausea from their medications and is the only thing that gets them through their illnesses. But controversy over its use still rages.

For more than 4,000 years, marijuana was used as medicine. But in 1942, it was banned in the United States.

Brian Klein takes three pills twice a day for HIV. He's also recovering from hepatitis C.

"It was pretty devastating getting both at the same time," said Brian.

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Medical Marijuana

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Hepatitis C medications are known for their severe side effects such as nausea. Brian tried many treatments to relieve it, but only one worked -- marijuana.

"Within a few minutes, I could go eat, whereas before using it, I couldn't even keep down water," he said. "So it was amazing, dramatic difference."

A study on hepatitis C patients showed smoking pot made them three-times more likely to get rid of the virus because it got them through treatment.

"If there's a patient for whom that medicine doesn't work, and they do get benefit from marijuana, then that could really be the difference between life and death," said Dr. Donald Abrams, an oncologist.

Dr. Abrams a long-time HIV researcher and has studied the use of pot in patients.

"When we talk about the side effects if you will of marijuana compared to many, many prescription drugs that doctors prescribe on a daily basis, it's really quite safe," said Dr. Abrams.

Although medical marijuana is allowed in 12 states, the federal government has declared it "is not medicine" and "not safe." Opponents say much more research is needed and that pot is linked to a higher risk of cancer, heart attack and brain damage.

For Brian Klein, it was a short term fix. He's free of the hepatitis C virus and has the energy to do simple things like read and even exercise.

"This was relieving my nausea, and it worked," he said. "And I didn't need it for anything more or less."