Cannabis could be a useful form of harm reduction for addicted youth, B.C. study reveals

published on August 20, 2020 by Ashley Wadhwani in Victoria News

Cannabis could be a useful harm reduction strategy for young people struggling with addiction, according to new research out of B.C.

Two newly published studies from researchers with the BC Centre on Substance Use and the University of British Columbia examined cannabis use behaviours among young people and other people who use drugs in downtown Vancouver.

Together, these studies suggest that cannabis could be effective both as harm reduction as well as a substitute for illicit opioid use.

The findings come as B.C. is seeing its worst stretch in history for fatal overdoses, due to a increasingly toxic drug supply and social contact restrictions amid COVID-19 driving many to use alone.

“Contrary to common perception, many of the young people we interviewed shared that they used cannabis not for recreation but for therapeutic purposes, often to help reduce or stop altogether the use of other substances,” said Dr. Danya Fast, research scientist at the centre…

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