Molecular biologist Peter Duesberg originated the theory that HIV is not the cause of AIDS, but rather recreational drugs and anti-virals are the real culprit. HIV is rather a harmless “passenger virus,“ according to him. In this letter to the editor of The New York Review of Books from 1996, he offers a succinct, clear overview of what the evidence is for his explanation:Makes sense. So what is HIV then ? And what do we make of some countries like Venezuela seemingly having really high rates of HIV?
I haven’t heard of hoards of Venezuelans turning up dead from aids, but I have heard about high rates of hiv which the media have you believe is a death sentence untreated. What does a positive hiv test indicate ?

'The AIDS Heresy': An Exchange | Peter H. Duesberg
To the Editors: The war on AIDS has been a complete disappointment in terms of public health benefits. For $35 billion from the US taxpayer alone there is