Patient Education ►
Substance
Abuse Treatment with Cannabis
A so-called “ dangerous drug ” offers hope to many who suffer from drug addiction .
by Peter Kershaw , Contributing Writer
Drug addiction and substance abuse is a huge problem incurring massive societal and economic costs . As of 2019 , the annual tangible cost of substance abuse ( tobacco , alcohol , illicit drugs , and prescription drug abuse ) was $ 3.73 trillion . That ’ s greater than the GDPs ( gross domestic products ) of California , Texas , New York , Florida , Illinois , Pennsylvania , and Ohio combined . 1 That figure is also multiple times higher than the retail consumer costs of the substances themselves . However , there are many other costs , too , including intangible costs .
Some have argued that a significant portion of these costs ( which include the criminal ones , such as policing , arrests , prosecution , incarceration , and probation ) could be mitigated were illicit drugs decriminalized or legalized . This argument is countered by the fact that the health and societal costs of cigarettes and alcohol ( which are legal ) are more than double those of all illicit drugs combined . Legalization alone isn ’ t a remedy . And while it might be argued that drug treatment , rather than incarceration , is a better , more humane way of approaching substance abuse , the relapse rate of most voluntary treatment facilities is often as alarming as the relapse rate of prisoners undergoing “ involuntary detox ” when incarcerated for illicit drugs . We need some creative , out-of-the-box thinking for those suffering from substance abuse . Ironically enough , a so-called “ dangerous drug ” offers hope to many who suffer from drug addiction .
✔
In 1971 at the urging of then-President Richard Nixon , marijuana was placed on the DEA ’ s Controlled Substance Schedule 1 list . Schedule 1 drugs have “ no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse .” That decision ignored the science available , even at that time . Keeping cannabis a Schedule 1 drug continues ignoring the mountain of evidence that ’ s accumulated since then . As this author has demonstrated in monthly articles here for over three years , cannabis does , in fact , have “ accepted medical use ,” and a great many of them at that . It even includes several FDA-approved cannabisderived drugs ( e . g ., Marinol , Epidiolex , Dronabinol , Nabilone , etc .).
However , since it would hurt the bottom line of Patent Medicine ( i . e ., Big Pharma ), the FDA doesn ’ t ever approve substances in their native and natural states . Perhaps someday we ’ ll see marijuana ’ s removal from Schedule 1 . Meanwhile , and gratefully , at least in Missouri , that no longer affects our ability to consume it legally .
Harm Reduction
A drug abuse treatment program that features the use of cannabis is known as “ harm reduction .” Though it ’ s still a relatively new concept in the U . S ., “ harm reduction ” is widely embraced in Canada and several European countries . The overarching theme of harm reduction is “ progress , not perfection .” Because of its safety and efficacy , cannabis has come to play a significant leading role in harm reduction .
Certainly , cannabis is far safer and far less addictive than cocaine , heroin , fentanyl , methamphetamine , benzodiazepines , etc ., which isn ’ t to say that cannabis cannot and is not sometimes also abused ( i . e ., “ Cannabis Use Disorder ”). However , even where it does occur , the physical and emotional unpleasantries of cannabis withdrawal are relatively mild . Addiction experts have compared it to coffee withdrawal . For those addicted to coffee , we can attest that going cold turkey ( worse yet , from energy drinks ) is far more unpleasant than going off weed .
Caffeine is considered by most to be relatively harmless , and yet may be far more physically addictive than THC ; and though no one has ever died from cannabis , in rare cases , caffeine abuse has resulted in death . Needless to say , in the realm of harm reduction , cannabis is many orders of magnitude a reduction from highly addictive drugs .
The endocannabinoid system modulates reward circuitry in the brain associated with drug addiction . Cannabinoids interfere with the neural reward mechanisms associated with drug-use , drug-seeking , and compulsive behaviors , including all substances commonly abused — legal ones such as alcohol and cigarettes , illicit
20 JULY 2023