COULD BE, WHO KNOWS… –

Feb. 19, 2024  – New research has found that daily users of crystal methamphetamine who turned to cannabis to manage their cravings used the stimulant drug less, especially female users. The findings suggest a new harm-reduction strategy is needed for people who use illicit drugs. 

“Our findings are not conclusive but do add to the growing scientific evidence that cannabis might be a beneficial tool for some people who want to better control their unregulated stimulant use, particularly for people who use crystal meth,” said Hudson Reddon, lead and corresponding author of the study.

The phrase ‘unregulated drugs’ includes medication that has been manufactured legally but diverted from legitimate sales routes, as well as the illicit manufacture and sale of drugs such as crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.

The researchers recruited 297 adult users of unregulated drugs who’d reported cannabis and stimulant use in the preceding six months. The median age of participants was 44 years; 31.3% were female. Almost half (48.8%) self-reported daily cannabis use, and 45.1% reported using cannabis to manage stimulant cravings. Other common harm reduction or therapeutic motives for cannabis use included managing craving for unregulated opioids (25.6%) and managing pain (17.8%). The most popular method of cannabis administration was smoking (97.3%), followed by consuming edibles (43.8%) and concentrates (21.9%).

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