Community | December 01, 2009 | 31 comments

Marijuana To Control Brits' Alcohol Abuse?

source: http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/01/marijuana-to-control-alcohol-abuse/9863.html

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copperdragon
A new research effort has a provocative outcome as University of California-Berkeley researchers suggest substituting cannabis for treatment of heavy alcohol abuse.

Research published in BioMed Central’s open access Harm Reduction Journal features a poll of 350 cannabis users, finding that 40 percent used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66 percent as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26 percent for other, more potent illegal drugs.

Amanda Reiman carried out the study at the UC-Berkeley Patient’s Group, a medical cannabis dispensary.

She said, “Substituting cannabis for alcohol has been described as a radical alcohol treatment protocol. This approach could be used to address heavy alcohol use in the British Isles - people might substitute cannabis, a potentially safer drug than alcohol with less negative side effects, if it were socially acceptable and available.”

Reiman found that 65 percent of people reported using cannabis as a substitute because it has fewer adverse side effects than alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs, 34 percent because it has less withdrawal potential and 57.4 percent because cannabis provides better symptom management.

Reiman believes this discovery brings up two important points.

“First, self-determination, the right of an individual to decide which treatment or substance is most effective and least harmful for them. Secondly, the recognition that substitution might be a viable alternative to abstinence for those who can’t or won’t completely stop using psychoactive substances.”

Speaking about legalization of cannabis, Reiman added, “The economic hardship of the Great Depression helped bring about the end of alcohol prohibition. Now, as we are again faced with economic struggles, the U.S. is looking to marijuana as a potential revenue generator.

“Public support is rising for the legalization of recreational use and remains high for the use of marijuana as a medicine. The hope is that this interest will translate into increased research support and the removal of current barriers to conducting such research, such as the Schedule I/Class B status of marijuana.”

Source: BioMed Central

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/01/marijuana-to-control-alcohol-abuse/9863....
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31 comments // Marijuana To Control Brits' Alcohol Abuse?

  • Saladin
    • 0
      Saladin  

    • No real studies have been done as to Marijuana's medical benefits, which isn't to say it doesn't have any, but the data is all over the place.

      We won't have real data until legalization, which I'm all for. But this constant harping about it being the cure for cancer and the best since sliced bread, it's a bunch of crap.

      You can support legalization without mystifying this minor hallucinogen.

    • 2 years ago
  • CarolineS
    • 0
      CarolineS  

    • My dream seems to be manifesting itself before my eyes!
      people are waking up to the wonders of marijuana! (some) newspapers are printing the real facts about it, and it looks like ignorance on the subject is receeding!
      Hallelujah!
      hopefully in a few years time i'll be sitting on my step in the sun with a joint trying to remember a time when marijuana had such a bad name!

    • 2 years ago
  • anglcazn
    • 0
      anglcazn  

    • "Research published in BioMed Central’s open access Harm Reduction Journal features a poll of 350 cannabis users, finding that 40 percent used cannabis to control their alcohol cravings, 66 percent as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26 percent for other, more potent illegal drugs."

      There survey suggests nothing except that alcoholics used it to control some of their cravings, not the other way around. The only way that the statement can be proven is if there was an experiment where there was one control group and the other group smoking pot.

      For all we know, without the experiment to support the claim, it can be a pseudo-effect.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  

    • lol.This reminds me of Windex treatment on My Big Fat Greek Wedding (or, for this case, Weeding). Pot is becoming a joke, to me. Might as well give it to AIDs patients and rape victims. It'll cure them too. Excessive. Jumping the shark is next.

    • 2 years ago
  • royulery
    • 0
      royulery  

    • i used to get stoned, so stoned that i couldn't talk. going to the toilet was an adventure into the wild kingdom; with growling pain and laughing hiennia. i could become incapable of feeding myself; searching the refer. for something that didn't have a face at one time and then getting distracted. iv'e gotten so high so fast that i blew street pizza. sometimes i couldn't move for hours, becoming lost in morbid self reflection. naturally i would more often drink with pot and get stupid, drinking on pot is not a smart thing to do.
      pot is strong stuff, and it doesn't cure all ailments but i would rather see kids partying on it than booze.

    • 2 years ago
  • cadex
  • ironicbliss
  • Thargor19
    • 0
      Thargor19  

    • @Ares

      are you naive? there are other ways to ingest this miracle molecule rather than smoking, which makes it 100% safe, non-toxic and non-addictive.

    • 2 years ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  

    • Many people would change their minds if cannabis facts had not been distorted by politicians who used the 'war on cannabis' as a political tool. Spreading madness, via 'the war'. "You're either with us, or you're against us" mentality run amuck. Facts be damned!

      Shame on politicians who choose 'politics and war' over 'people and facts'. They know, yet they choose to ignore the positive history of cannabis hemp!

      "Prohibition... goes beyond the bound of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded" -Abraham Lincoln

    • 2 years ago
  • tommic
    • 0
      tommic  

    • Marijuana can be used during the withdrawl from heavier drugs such as percoset and oxecontin it works by reducing the symptoms of withdrawl like hot and cold flashes, upset stomach, and it reduces the nervous shakes that one gets.
      I know I used it after six months on percoset for slipped disk in my back with great results.

    • 2 years ago
  • viva_canuks
    • 0
      viva_canuks  

    • Wow, there are some very closed minded people out there. If you have not personally suffered through an addiction, had deep insight into someone with an addiction or studied addiction, you should not be closing your mind to the possible options out there to treat these people.

      Everyone has varying levels of tolerance to chemicals in their body. Some people are more genetically predisposed to becoming addicted to a substance than others. Not every addict abused a substance for years before becoming addicted. Some addicts can become addicted on the 3rd, 2nd or even 1st try (though this is rare).

      Though initially choosing to take a substance is your choice, the subsequent physical addiction which may occur (ex. alcohol, prescription drugs etc.), is something beyond your control. Your body often stops producing or releases low amounts of certain chemicals (ex. neurotransmitters), because the introduced chemical often mimics these natural chemicals and binds to their receptor sites in your body. This tricks the body into thinking it has already produced enough of this chemical. Once withdrawal occurs, it takes a while for the body to once again start producing these chemicals, which in the short term is why they are craving the next "hit" and in the long term why delirium tremors and other potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms begin.

      The mental anguish and chemical imbalance that can last for days, even weeks, is too much for many to bear. This is why it is crucial to have a transition drug to help them off of their dependence. Marijuana is well known in the medical research community to have a very low incidence of both mental and physical dependence. Most of the harmful side effects that come with it are due to smoking it and this brings about the same issues as with cigarettes. There are other ways of acquiring the useful effects of marijuana without smoking it.

      For people that are more predisposed to addiction than others, this would probably be the safest substance to be using to control those cravings. It is a far better approach to actually look at the situation for what it is, instead of hoping for the best case scenario. If a person can eventually curb their cravings for the other more harmful drugs adequately and can be subsequently taken off of marijuana all the better, but not everyone can go through life chemical free and for those who need something long term, this would be the smartest choice from a physical and mental health perspective.

    • 2 years ago
  • craigsaid
    • 0
      craigsaid  

    • I'm in favor of legalization. Not because it has miracle properties.
      A. the damage done by our current legal structure to individual lives far outweighs the damage done by smoking pot
      B. there being no clear reason to make it illegal leaving it as illegal just because it already is is pretty stupid

    • 2 years ago
  • LadyDaze
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  

    • This is hilarious. Control abuse of one mind altering substance by abusing another mind altering substance. Brilliant. I'll go ahead and use heroin to ween me off cigarettes then.

    • 2 years ago
  • sidewaysclyde
    • 0
      sidewaysclyde  
    • Ares:

      Oh except cannabis is much more healthy for you than either. Heroin and cannabis cannot be compared, look up the effects on the body. Look up the effects of physical addiction, the types of withdrawal, the long term effects of use, and the medicinal qualities of each. Look up the amount each has killed. You are comparing apples and oranges.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  
    • Ares:

      Get over yourself. Marijuana is a dangerous, mind altering substance, just like alcohol. You're inhaling smoke into your lungs. There's less tar than you find in tobacco products, but it's still awful for your body. Smoking weed is not going to solve all of your problems.

      That's the biggest problem I have with people that are turning blue in the face screaming for legalization. It isn't a miracle plant. It won't cure your obesity, your stupidity, your immaturity, your lack of ambition, your laziness, your heart arrhythmia, or any of the other diseases among the litany of ailments that weed doesn't help. This is the only drug people are so stupid as to claim that it's a "miracle drug." It isn't. You smoke it, you forget about your problems, you come down, you still have your problems. I don't smoke pot because I'm an adult and I have things to do. I deal with my problems without getting high to hide from them.

      /rant.

      I'm not saying there isn't a compromise to be made regarding legalization, but for crying out loud, only an idiot would try to control alcohol abuse with marijuana abuse.

    • 2 years ago
  • sidewaysclyde
    • 0
      sidewaysclyde  
    • Ares:

      http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm
      Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows
      study by Harvard

      It won't cure what now? Like I said, do research before you /rant. And perhaps you should not disregard current medical research because you have your own personal issues regarding the drug. Being an adult has nothing to do with utilizing the medicinal properties of a plant.

      Alcohol is much worse for you than THC. So controlling a life threatening circumstance with one that isn't life threatening sounds pretty good. If you can't see that than it's you that needs to get over yourself.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  
    • Ares:

      Sorry, I thought I was pretty explicit. Here it is again:

      "It isn't a miracle plant. It won't cure your obesity, your stupidity, your immaturity, your lack of ambition, your laziness, your heart arrhythmia, or any of the other diseases among the litany of ailments that weed doesn't help."

      Oh and also, it slows the growth of these tumors, in this particular study. It doesn't halt it or destroy the cancerous cells, so it cures nothing. Thanks for that tidbit.

      I can't tell you how many calls I've run where a kid crashed his car because he was high as a bird, or how many kids I grew up with that are completely consumed by the drug. Just because a shit ton of college students and hippies love getting high doesn't mean that higher-end rhetoric is going to keep people from realizing that you want it legalized so you can get high without being so goddamn sketchy about it. You aren't fooling anyone with this faux-benevolent agenda.

      Consider the following facts, that I've been forced to once again research at your urging:

      1. Marijuana lowers the strength of your body's immune system
      2. Smoking marijuana decreases blood flow to your brain
      3. Females who chronically abuse marijuana risk increasing testosterone levels
      4. Varying degrees (in duration and intensity) of impairment of learning, memory, perception, and judgment, difficulty speaking, listening effectively, retaining knowledge, and cognitive recognition
      5. Tachycardia
      6. Prolonged use can encourage violent outbursts, changes in appetite, emphysema, bronchitis,
      7. Increased crime rates. This is seen even where marijuana is completely legalized. Look up the riots and rampant violent crime seen in Freetown Christiania.

      Look, I'm not saying that decriminalizing marijuana would cause the world to end, but it's ridiculous that people are trying to use these "miraculous healing properties" as a primary support structure. People use it to get high, period.

    • 2 years ago
  • sidewaysclyde
    • 0
      sidewaysclyde  
    • Ares:

      I am not going to talk about its regulation and how taking it from the black market will stop home invasions in CA, or its attachment to Mexican cartels, or the fact that it doesn't need to be smoked. And it wouldn't have to be if it was made readily available in other forms. It's obvious we are going to have differing opinions of the uses of THC. That's ok, I don't feel like arguing about it. That's why we can both vote, I suppose. I am not going to spend my night pulling up the statistics that have created my foundation and belief in its support. But hopefully further analysis of the drug and its potential uses can further expand both of our understandings.

    • 2 years ago
  • Conniepae
    • 0
      Conniepae  
    • Ares:

      "Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica." - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

    • 2 years ago
  • copperdragon
  • bailey78
  • cadex
    • 0
      cadex  
    • Image
    • Ares:

      I've smoked weed everyday for the last 4 years and it IS harmful, regardless of what you think. I've had sever mood swings, panic attacks, I wake up with my brain feeling cloudy and slow, my short term memory is terrible, I can't remember a large percentage of my childhood or even things that happened a few years ago and my attention span has shrunk to the point where I can hardly read a few pages of a book without trailing off. That's not even touching on how it's effected my lungs!

      And don't even think about smoking strong weed if you've had a history of mental illness, depression, anxiety or anything like that. I've watched some good friends deteriorate because they smoked themselves into a hole which they couldn't climb out of.

      Fooling yourself that it's some miracle drug is stupid. I believe that it is less harmful than alcohol, but that's only because alcohol is VERY harmful in the first place.

      If people decide to use (not abuse) cannabis to help them beat an addiction then fair play to them, I'm sure that it would benefit them but that doesn't mean that cannabis is 100% safe.

      One of the largest threats to my health recently has been the rise in the amount of growers/dealers spraying their weed to make it weigh more. They spray it with sand, silicon dust and all manner of different substances in an attempt to make their weed weigh more and go further. This is disgusting behaviour but more and more people are doing it and in doing so they are putting smokers at an even higher risk. But that's the black market for you. No regulation, no quality control. People have always chopped coke and heroin with other substances to make it go further but it's a sad day when you have to check your weed to make sure it's not been fucked with.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  
    • Ares:

      "You don't know what the hell your talking about so shut the fuck up. I bet you consider your self a good christian don't you?"

      If that's directed to me, that's hilarious. How typical: you can't come up with anything so you go back to what you know: swinging for the fences and bringing religion into the argument whenever you can. Religion was not brought up once until you mentioned it. Nobody's referring to it or using it, you're just pulling stuff out of your ass because that's all you can do.

      Please explain to me, explicitly, how I don't know what I'm talking about. Would it be different if I wasted my entire life away getting high to hide from my problems like some punk kid? Grow the fuck up.

    • 2 years ago
  • LibertynJusticeforAll
    • 0
      LibertynJusticeforAll  
    • Ares:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OqSRfzqwWA

      This study was conducted by a group of molecular biologists, biochemists, and neuroscientists.

      They are called The Seth Group.

      "SETH scientists discovered that THC, the major active compound in medical marijuana, can selectively kill human brain tumor cells in Petri dishes at non-toxic concentrations (see Featured Experiment). The work has been published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, The Journal of Neuro-Oncology (2005), volume 74, pages 31-40. A synthetic compound that mimics the activity of THC did not perform as well as the herbal compound in parallel tests."

      "At the 2007 Society for NeuroOncology meeting (ET-23), SETH scientist reported that combining two cannabis plant compounds (THC and CBD) together resulted in a resulted in a synergistic increase in the inhibition of brain cancer cell growth and induction of brain cancer cell death."

      Judging from "can selectively kill human brain tumor cells" and "induction of brain cancer cell death", it could be reasonable to concluded that THC and CBD has the ability to destroy the cancerous cells.

      So yeah, "You don't know what the hell your talking about, so shut the fuck up."

      But what do I know, I've only got degrees in Biology and Ecology from Princeton University.

      http://thesethgroup.org/

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  
    • Ares:

      Thanks for that last little bit. Nothing says "These are the facts," like wrapping up with "I have a degree from Princeton, so I'm better than you."

      If you go back and read above, you'll find this gem:

      "I'm not saying there isn't a compromise to be made regarding legalization"

      and this one:

      "Look, I'm not saying that decriminalizing marijuana would cause the world to end"

      How about that?

      So marijuana has some legitimate medicinal properties. So does alcohol: it contributes to good heart health, eases pain, relaxes muscle tissues, and relieves stress. Hell, some people recommend getting drunk to pass kidney stones.

      I'm NOT SAYING that marijuana does not have a legitimate purpose as a medicine, and I'm NOT SAYING that alcohol doesn't have any negative side effects. What I'm saying is that it's ridiculous for people to use these handful of health benefits as their primary support for legalizing a drug that, let's be honest, most people are just using to get high.

      If you want to get high, that's great! GO FOR IT. Just don't act like you have this altruistic agenda for legalizing it. I would have figured an Ivy Leaguer would fucking know that, or do they not teach common sense there?

    • 2 years ago
  • Saladin
    • 0
      Saladin  
    • Ares:

      I don't say this very often, but I completely agree with you Ares.

      Legalization makes sense, this miracle drug nonsense does not. Hardly any research has even been done.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
  • ibrake4rappers13
  • squareshaped
  • FishaHouse777
    • 0
      FishaHouse777  

    • Hopefully this fantasy scenario will come true, I for one know as a fact that cannabis is a good substitute to get off other addictions, also cannabis has no mental addiction so it would be easy to stop it after stopping the other addiction.

    • 2 years ago
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