A new study suggests that cannabis can help opioid users get clean.
A team at the University of Southern California conducted interviews with 30 people who were “co-using” opioids and cannabis. They were all patients at a Los Angeles methadone clinic and syringe exchange.
Through interviews, the participants described how cannabis provided them with “rapid relief” from opioid withdrawal, which helped them reduce opioid use overall. According to the researchers, this was an especially relevant finding for places where weed is legal and dispensaries are more common.
They see their research as a way to fight the ongoing opioid mortality crisis. With just a few dozen participants, though it’s hardly the most definitive study—and the methods were interesting, too. The researchers said they used “constructivist grounded theory methods for identifying and comparing the emerging themes that appeared across transcripts.” In other words, the study was qualitative rather than quantitative.
For more perspective, though, check out this episode of WEEDIQUETTE, the VICE documentary series, which first aired on VICE TV in 2017.
The show’s host, Krishna Andavolu, visited an unaccredited detox facility in Maine, where he spoke with recovering addicts who were assisting other people earlier on in their recovery.
Their process? Providing patients with massive amounts of cannabis.
In the documentary, many of the people swore by the medicinal marijuana, claiming it helped lessen their withdrawal symptoms as they were getting clean.
Opioid withdrawal can become so severe that it leads to blackouts—or worse. Though weed might work for some people through their recovery, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.
The film also features James Li, an emergency room physician, who explained that getting withdrawal requires pharmaceutical support and close medical attention. He acknowledged that this kind of help isn’t easily accessible, though, and that it’s complicated by the housing and financial situations of many addicts. In the recent University of Southern California study, for example, 57% of participants were unhoused or unstably housed, and 70% earned a monthly income of less than $2,100.
Together, these studies and interviews certainly suggest there’s hope in having cannabis at the center of treatment. The fact that the USC study exists in the first place is notable: the team received federal funding through the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has a history that some consider anti-cannabis. That alone is a step in the right direction.
The post Promising New Study Shows Cannabis Can Help With Opioid Withdrawal appeared first on VICE.
The post Promising New Study Shows Cannabis Can Help With Opioid Withdrawal appeared first on VICE.
