Studies out of B.C. has found that marijuana could be a useful harm reduction strategy for young people struggling with addiction.
Researchers with the BC Centre on Substance Use and the University of British Columbia have published two studies that examined cannabis use behaviors among young people and other people who use drugs in downtown Vancouver.
The studies together suggest that marijuana could be effective both as harm reduction as well as a substitute for illicit opioid use.
“Contrary to common perception, many of the young people we interviewed shared that they used cannabis not for recreation but for therapeutic purposes, often to help reduce or stop altogether the use of other substances,” said Dr. Danya Fast, research scientist at the centre.
“While some youth in our study identified negative effects of intensive cannabis use, policy and provider education and training should be responsive to the ways many youth in our setting are actively using cannabis to navigate their needs.”
The first study was published in PLOS ONE and was led by Fast and his team. researchers interviewed youth who were street-involved about their cannabis use.
The study revealed that a vast majority engaged in daily cannabis use at the same time as they cycled on and off other substances that were perceived as much more harmful such as alcohol, fentanyl, heroin, and crystal methamphetamine.
The team interviewed 56 young people recruited from a cohort of street-involved youth in Vancouver between 2017 and 2019.
The second study was published in the American Journal of Public Health and researchers found that six month periods of at-least-daily cannabis use had significantly higher rates of ceasing to inject drugs.
Dr. M-J Milloy, senior author of that research, said, “We’re learning more and more in our research how people who use drugs are using cannabis for therapeutic reasons, such as addressing chronic pain or coping with withdrawal.”
“Today’s findings are consistent with this research, showing that some people who use drugs are limiting one of the driving risks for overdose—injecting opioids from the poisoned drug supply—by using cannabis.”
Milloy and his team evaluated the impact of frequent cannabis use on injection cessation and injection relapse among 2459 people who inject drugs interviewed every six months from 2005 to 2018.
The team found that in any six month period, at-least-daily cannabis use was associated with a 24-per-cent increase in the likelihood a participant stopped injecting illicit opioids, such as heroin or fentanyl, during that period.
“The implications of these findings are important given the risks associated with the toxic illicit drug supply that is fueling the overdose crisis,” said Milloy.
“Meanwhile, our policymakers should make sure they are facilitating access to cannabis as harm reduction by, for example, reducing barriers to legal cannabis or supporting community groups distributing cannabis to people at risk of overdose.”
“Our findings suggest using cannabis for harm reduction has the potential to save lives.”