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GIVING AWAY FREE MARIJUANA COULD HELP CURB THE DRUG OVERDOSE CRISIS, NEW STUDY
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SCIENCE & HEALTH
GIVING AWAY FREE MARIJUANA COULD HELP CURB THE DRUG OVERDOSE CRISIS, NEW STUDY
SUGGESTS
Published
1 month ago
on
March 8, 2024
By
Ben Adlin
Giving out free cannabis through harm reduction organizations could both reduce
drug overdose deaths and improve users’ quality of life, according to new
research published this week in the Harm Reduction Journal.
The case study, which examined a marijuana donation program in rural Michigan,
says it’s the first to document the harm reduction practice in the United States
and concludes that the approach has “potential for sustainability dependent on
state laws.”
“While the policies surrounding the regulation and distribution of cannabis can
still present barriers towards this practice,” authors wrote, “harm reduction
staff working in the field see the potential benefits of cannabis, which include
reduced premature death, improved quality of life, pain moderation, increased
recovery outcomes, and improved safety for clients and community.”
Marijuana Consumers Have "Significantly Decreased Odds" Of Cognitive Decline
Marijuana Consumers Have "Significantly Decreased Odds" Of Cognitive Decline
A recent study suggests that marijuana users have lower chances of experiencing
subjective cognitive decline (SCD) compared to non-users. The study indicated
that people who consume cannabis for recreational or medical purposes reported
less confusion and memory loss compared to non-users. This finding holds
significance as previous research has linked subjective decline to increased
risk of dementia later in life. However, the study reveals that the impact of
THC on cognitive function may be more complex than commonly assumed.
Individuals using marijuana for medical purposes or both medical and
recreational purposes also showed “decreased odds of SCD, although not
significant”. Past studies have highlighted negative associations between heavy
cannabis use and mental performance. The authors highlight that cognitive
effects are influenced by factors like purpose of use, extending beyond
consumption frequency. The study proposes several theories explaining the
association between cannabis use and reduced cognitive decline. These include
the potential benefits of marijuana in improving sleep quality and alleviating
stress. “Several studies have found that cannabis use might enhance sleep
quality, expedite sleep onset, and reduce sleep disturbances. Non-medical
cannabis use could have contributed to the observed decrease in SCD due to its
potential benefit on sleep quality,” the new paper says.
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The observation period, from September 2021 through May 2023, included ten
“cannabis-experienced harm reduction clients” who received marijuana weekly
through pickups or deliveries, “with clinical staff determining client interest
and appropriateness.”
When staff reported their interactions with clients, many pointed to benefits
they’d observed.
One person, described as 50 or older, “had spinal fusion neck surgery (with the
installation of two steel rods, three connectors, and six bolts) five months
into the study,” authors wrote.
“Before the surgery, this person had not used opioids for two years (as
evidenced by criminal legal mandated urine drug screens) but reported frequent
struggles in denying himself alcohol,” they continued. “With their use of the
products donated by this program, this individual reported complete abstinence
from alcohol while recovering from their surgery and since. They expressed
gratitude for topical pain relief with cannabis pain cream, cannabis vape
cartridges, and flower for smoking.”
Another participant “in her 20s was pregnant, homeless, and a methamphetamine
and opioid dependent injector at the beginning of the study,” the case study
says. “She reported that with the use of products donated in this program, she
used methamphetamine and opioids less frequently, and actively worked with harm
reduction agency staff to get on MOUD [medications for opioid use disorder]
while pregnant.”
Researchers also looked at data from a cannabis company that provided marijuana
for the program, shedding light on product types and the scale of donations.
“This administrative data suggests that while flower products constitute most of
the adult and medical sales, edible, oil, and topical products predominated
donations,” the study says. “Further, cost analysis suggests that donations
represent only 1% of total gross sales and account for much less than the
expected yearly donation amount.”
The five-author team behind the paper includes researchers at the nonprofit RTI
International, the Rutgers University School of Social Work and San Francisco
General Hospital.
They described their findings as a “starting point for inquiry into cannabis
donation as a harm reduction strategy,” but said further research is needed “to
fully understand the individual-level outcomes, public health impacts, necessary
legal regulations, and best practices for cannabis donation.”
“Until then, given the ongoing overdose mortality stemming from illicitly
produced fentanyl and other synthetic contaminants saturating the unregulated
drug market, and the potential benefits of cannabis in reducing this unregulated
substance use,” the report says, “harm reduction practitioners will continue to
support client self-determination, and mutual aid in all forms, including
available safe psychoactive substances, for persons who use drugs.”
The analysis does not attempt to draw conclusions about the overall outcomes of
such harm reduction efforts, instead drawing on interviews with administrators
of the rural Michigan program.
“While this is the first study to document the donation of cannabis as a harm
reduction practice in the US, it is exploratory and not designed or intended to
assess the outcomes associated with this practice,” it says. “Instead, we focus
on describing how this process has been organically occurring in a state where
there is the provision of cannabis and statutes that allow for donation.”
It says the findings show the feasibility of such programs, including the fact
that donations from commercial marijuana companies make up just a tiny portion
of the businesses’ overall product—about 1 percent of gross sales.
The case study comes on the heels of recent research out of Canada showing an
association between marijuana legalization and declines in beer sales,
suggesting a substitution effect where consumers shift from one product to the
other.
Other studies have linked cannabis legalization with reductions in the use of
both prescription and nonprescription opioids.
A report published last November, for example, linked legalizing medical
marijuana with a “lower frequency” of nonprescribed pharmaceutical opioid use.
In August, a federally funded study found that marijuana was significantly
associated with reduced opioid cravings for people using them without a
prescription, suggesting that expanding access to legal cannabis could provide
more people with a safer substitute.
A separate study last year found that legal access to CBD products led to
significant reductions in opioid prescriptions, with state-level drops of
between 6.6 percent and 8.1 percent fewer prescriptions.
Another linked medical marijuana use to lower pain levels and reduced dependence
on opioids and other prescription medications, while yet another, published by
the American Medical Association (AMA), found that chronic pain patients who
received medical marijuana for longer than a month saw significant reductions in
prescribed opioids.
AMA also released research showing that about one in three chronic pain patients
report using cannabis as a treatment option, and most of that group has used
cannabis as a substitute for other pain medications, including opioids.
State-level marijuana legalization is associated with major reductions in
prescribing of the opioid codeine specifically, too, according to a study that
leveraged data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
A 2022 study similarly found that giving people legal access to medical cannabis
can help patients reduce their use of opioid painkillers, or cease use
altogether, without compromising quality of life.
There’s also no deficit of anecdotal reports, data-based
studies and observational analyses that have signaled that some people use
cannabis as an alternative to traditional pharmaceutical drugs like opioid-based
painkillers and sleep medications.
As for alcohol, a separate study published last November found that marijuana
legalization may be linked to a “substitution effect,” with young adults in
California “significantly” reducing their use of alcohol and cigarettes after
the cannabis reform was enacted.
Data from a Gallup survey published last August also found that Americans
consider marijuana to be less harmful than alcohol, cigarettes, vapes and other
tobacco products.
A separate survey released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and
Morning Consult last June also found that Americans consider marijuana to be
significantly less dangerous than cigarettes, alcohol and opioids—and they say
cannabis is less addictive than each of those substances, as well as technology.
In 2022, a survey showed that Americans believe that cannabis is less dangerous
than alcohol or tobacco.
> Biden Promotes Marijuana Reform In State Of The Union Address, A Historic
> First
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
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Ben Adlin
Ben Adlin, a senior editor at Marijuana Moment, has been covering cannabis and
other drug policy issues professionally since 2011. He was previously a senior
news editor at Leafly, an associate editor at the Los Angeles Daily Journal and
a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. He lives in Washington State.
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