*Is cannabis the answer to Booze Britain's problems?*
December 1st, 2009 in Medicine & Health / Health

*Substituting cannabis in place of more harmful drugs may be a winning
strategy in the fight against substance misuse. Research published in
BioMed Central' open access /Harm Reduction Journal/ features a poll of
350 cannabis users, finding that 40% used cannabis to control their
alcohol cravings, 66% as a replacement for prescription drugs and 26%
for other, more potent, illegal drugs.*

Amanda Reiman, from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, carried
out the study at 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% of people reported using cannabis as a substitute
because it has less adverse side effects than alcohol, illicit or
prescription drugs, 34% because it has less withdrawal potential and
57.4% because cannabis provides better symptom management. She said,
"This 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 US
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".

_More information:_ Cannabis as a Substitute for Alcohol and Other
Drugs, Amanda Reiman, /Harm Reduction Journal /(In Press),
http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/ <http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/>

Source: BioMed Central (news
<http://www.physorg.com/partners/biomed-central/> : web
<http://www.biomedcentral.com/>)
http://www.physorg.com/news178868015.html
<http://www.physorg.com/news178868015.html>