{"id":4871,"date":"2015-10-15T21:11:31","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T21:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/?p=3848"},"modified":"2015-10-15T21:11:31","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T21:11:31","slug":"study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Highlights Potential Public Health Benefits Of Medical Cannabis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>Cannabis has been long maligned as an addictive narcotic that could lead to serious health issues, but a UBC and University of Victoria study demonstrates that more people are using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>And that may be a good thing, says UBC Okanagan Assoc. Prof. Zach Walsh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur study shows that more than 80 per cent of medicinal cannabis users reported substituting cannabis for prescription drugs including opiate pain killers,\u201d says Walsh, who\u2019s the primary investigator of the Cannabis Access for Medical Purposes Survey (CAMPS), the largest Canadian survey of medical cannabis patients to date.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is consistent with recent findings from the US that indicates medical cannabis use had a role in a nearly 25 per cent reduction in opioid overdose deaths \u2014 which is a really big deal given the crisis Canada faces with prescription opioid use,\u201d says Walsh, noting Canadians are amongst the highest users of opiate-based drugs.<\/p>\n<p>The study also found that 51 per cent of the 473 respondents report substituting cannabis for alcohol, and 33 per cent suggest they use cannabis instead of illicit substances like cocaine and crystal meth.<\/p>\n<p>The CAMPS study, which provided data on cannabis substitution, was supported with a grant from UBC Okanagan\u2019s Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention. Walsh, who teaches psychology with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, worked with the University of Victoria\u2019s Philippe Lucas, a Research Scholar with the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile cannabis use can certainly be problematic for some individuals, these findings highlight the potential of cannabis to be an \u2018exit drug\u2019 to addiction rather than a gateway drug,\u201d says Lucas, VP of Patient Research and Services for Tilray, and the lead author of the publication. \u201cUsed properly, cannabis can substitute for potentially more harmful substances like alcohol, prescription drugs, and illicit substances, and therefore reduce the public health and safety impacts of those substances on individuals and on society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Legal access to cannabis might affect the broader social costs related to the use of both legal and illicit psychoactive substances, says Walsh. That\u2019s why a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of cannabis use must recognize potential effects on the use of other psychoactive substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol, and illicit substances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to compare the risks and benefits of using other substances, such as opiates or alcohol, to the risks and benefits of cannabis use to estimate the real public health consequences of cannabis use,\u201d says Walsh. \u201cLooking at cannabis use in isolation paints an incomplete picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, says Walsh, with increased recognition of the legitimate therapeutic use of cannabis, it\u2019s time to re-examine Canada\u2019s laws and openly discuss the potential costs and benefits of creating legal access to cannabis outside of the medical system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to make informed choices about pain control, I think use of cannabis is a right that every Canadian should have,\u201d says Walsh. \u201cIt\u2019s been proven to be much less harmful and addictive than opiates or substances like alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>News Moderator: Jacob Redmond <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a><br \/>\nFull Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ok.ubc.ca\/2015\/10\/05\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis\/\" target=\"_blank\">Study Highlights Potential Public Health Benefits Of Medical Cannabis<\/a><br \/>\nAuthor: Patty Wellborn<br \/>\nContact: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ubc.ca\/about\/contact.html?utm_campaign=UBC+CLF&amp;utm_medium=CLF+Global+Footer&amp;utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.ok.ubc.ca%2F2015%2F10%2F05%2Fstudy-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis%2F\" target=\"_blank\">Contact Page<\/a><br \/>\nPhoto Credit: Darren Hull<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ubc.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">The University Of British Columbia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cannabis has been long maligned as an addictive narcotic that could lead to serious health issues, but a UBC and University of Victoria study demonstrates that more people are using cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>And that may be a good thing, says UBC Okanagan Assoc. Prof. Zach Walsh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur study shows that more than 80 per cent of medicinal cannabis users reported substituting cannabis for prescription drugs including opiate pain killers,\u201d says Walsh, who\u2019s the primary investigator of the Cannabis Access for Medical Purposes Survey (CAMPS), the largest Canadian survey of medical cannabis patients to date.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is consistent with recent findings from the US that indicates medical cannabis use had a role in a nearly 25 per cent reduction in opioid overdose deaths \u2014 which is a really big deal given the crisis Canada faces with prescription opioid use,\u201d says Walsh, noting Canadians are amongst the highest users of opiate-based drugs.<\/p>\n<p>The study also found that 51 per cent of the 473 respondents report substituting cannabis for alcohol, and 33 per cent suggest they use cannabis instead of illicit substances like cocaine and crystal meth.<\/p>\n<p>The CAMPS study, which provided data on cannabis substitution, was supported with a grant from UBC Okanagan\u2019s Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention. Walsh, who teaches psychology with the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, worked with the University of Victoria\u2019s Philippe Lucas, a Research Scholar with the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile cannabis use can certainly be problematic for some individuals, these findings highlight the potential of cannabis to be an \u2018exit drug\u2019 to addiction rather than a gateway drug,\u201d says Lucas, VP of Patient Research and Services for Tilray, and the lead author of the publication. \u201cUsed properly, cannabis can substitute for potentially more harmful substances like alcohol, prescription drugs, and illicit substances, and therefore reduce the public health and safety impacts of those substances on individuals and on society as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Legal access to cannabis might affect the broader social costs related to the use of both legal and illicit psychoactive substances, says Walsh. That\u2019s why a comprehensive analysis of the consequences of cannabis use must recognize potential effects on the use of other psychoactive substances such as prescription drugs, alcohol, and illicit substances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to compare the risks and benefits of using other substances, such as opiates or alcohol, to the risks and benefits of cannabis use to estimate the real public health consequences of cannabis use,\u201d says Walsh. \u201cLooking at cannabis use in isolation paints an incomplete picture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>More importantly, says Walsh, with increased recognition of the legitimate therapeutic use of cannabis, it\u2019s time to re-examine Canada\u2019s laws and openly discuss the potential costs and benefits of creating legal access to cannabis outside of the medical system.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to make informed choices about pain control, I think use of cannabis is a right that every Canadian should have,\u201d says Walsh. \u201cIt\u2019s been proven to be much less harmful and addictive than opiates or substances like alcohol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>News Moderator: Jacob Redmond <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a><br \/>\nFull Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ok.ubc.ca\/2015\/10\/05\/study-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis\/\" target=\"_blank\">Study Highlights Potential Public Health Benefits Of Medical Cannabis<\/a><br \/>\nAuthor: Patty Wellborn<br \/>\nContact: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ubc.ca\/about\/contact.html?utm_campaign=UBC+CLF&amp;utm_medium=CLF+Global+Footer&amp;utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.ok.ubc.ca%2F2015%2F10%2F05%2Fstudy-highlights-potential-public-health-benefits-of-medical-cannabis%2F\" target=\"_blank\">Contact Page<\/a><br \/>\nPhoto Credit: Darren Hull<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ubc.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">The University Of British Columbia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2329,9,1,3],"tags":[4896],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4871"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4871\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}