A new University of California-Davis study has found that smoking a joint can relieve pain associated with neuropathy, the nerve disorder associated with HIV and some treatments. The study supports other findings over the past several years that suggest medical use of marijuana can actually lessen nerve pain and not because it leaves people feeling too high to notice they're hurting. These findings come on the heels of research which found that a patch containing capsaicin (a natural chemical that makes some peppers 'hot') may also have some pain-relieving effects for people with neuropathy. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626150628.htm