Cannabis can Ease Cravings for Street-Level Drugs

New research from the University of British Columbia suggests that cannabis could help alleviate the growing opioid overdose issue. Dr. Hudson Reddon, along with Dr. Zach Walsh of UBC Okanagan and Dr. M-J Milloy of UBC Vancouver, published a study that found that smoking cannabis is connected with less usage of crystal methamphetamine among persons at highest risk of overdose in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Approximately 45% of the study’s participants reported using cannabis to manage their stimulant drug cravings in the previous six months, including powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamines. Those who utilized these leaves for desire management reported a significant reduction in crystal meth consumption. This relationship was not significant among crack cocaine users.

Dr. Reddon, the study’s lead researcher, highlighted cannabis’ potential as a harm-reduction method.

“Our findings are not conclusive but do add to the growing scientific evidence that cannabis might be a beneficial tool for some people who want to better control their unregulated stimulant use, particularly for people who use crystal meth,” Dr. Reddon, the study’s author, adds. “This suggests a new direction for harm reduction strategies among people who use drugs.”

Dr. Walsh, a Clinical Psychology Professor at UBCO and a leading substance use researcher, emphasized the need for further research: “While these findings are promising, they underscore the need for more comprehensive studies to understand the full potential of cannabis in the context of the overdose crisis.”

The study relied on data from a questionnaire distributed to people in Vancouver who were taking cannabis and unregulated medicines such as stimulants and opioids simultaneously. Drs. Milloy and Walsh, together with other colleagues at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, are leading a series of research on the potential of cannabis to solve the overdose issue.

Dr. Milloy is a research scientist at the BC Centre on Substance Use and holds the Canopy Growth Professorship in Cannabis Science. Their research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.