Canadian Scientists Find Cannabis Is Not A 'Gateway Drug'
Researchers say cannabis use doesn't lead to injectable drug use – in fact, it could help with
addiction treatment. By Kate Robertson April 2, 2018 https://news.lift.co/cannabis-gateway-drug/
Is cannabis a “gateway drug” that increases
the risk of young people trying more harmful
substances?
Multiple studies have backed up the claim,
including a 25-year study of adolescents that
showed regular or heavy weed use increases
chances of using other illicit drugs.
But the long-held theory is controversial.
Scientists are questioning whether other
factors – such as trauma, homelessness and
poverty – could be more significant
contributing variables that weren’t taken into
account in the original methodology.
That’s why researchers at BC’s Centre for
Substance Use wanted to dig deeper into the
relationship between cannabis use and,
specifically, injectable drugs. From 2005 to
2015, a team led by research student Hudson
Reddon tracked and interviewed 481 street-
involved people between the ages of 14 and
26 who had reported using illicit drugs.
Their research found daily cannabis use
correlated to a 34 per cent decrease of the
hazard rate – the number scientists
calculated would normally try heroin or other
injectable drugs for the first time.
"The decreased rate of injection initiation
among frequent cannabis users challenges the
claim of the gateway hypothesis that there is
a causal link between cannabis use and
initiation of subsequent so-called hard drug
use," reads the study, published in the March
issue of the Drug and Alcohol Review.
There have been two other studies that have
examined cannabis use and its relationship to
using injectable drugs for the first time, with
very different results:
In Baltimore, a study showed weed use was
associated with first-time injections. Another
Vancouver study showed the opposite – that
it decreased the risk of injecting drugs.
But why? The authors theorise that there's
more to it than cannabis use.
"An analysis of nationally representative data
from 17 countries demonstrated that the
association between cannabis use and
subsequent illicit drug use was weaker in
countries with higher rates of cannabis use,
suggesting that drug use progressions may be
moderated by drug prevalence and social
acceptability of certain substances,” reads
the study.
The
authors
also
report
that
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabinol
(CBD) have reduced cocaine cravings in rats
– pointing to the potential for cannabis to be
used in addiction treatment for more addictive
and damaging illicit drugs. But rats aren’t
humans, and the authors call for more human
trials to further investigate its potential.