Canadian Scientists Are Using Marijuana to Help People With Crack Cocaine Addictions

By Joseph Misulonas

When people discuss the current drug problems in the United States and Canada, they're usually referring to opioids and prescription painkillers. But obviously, other illegal narcotics are still causing many overdose deaths. One of those drugs is crack cocaine, but it turns out it may become less of a problem thanks to marijuana.

A group of researchers in Canada recently conducted a study to determine how marijuana affected drug use amongst people who use crack cocaine. The purpose of their research was to determine if marijuana could be used to help crack cocaine users get off the drug, the same way methadone helps people addicted to heroin.

The researchers studied 100 addicts who had used another drug to reduce or stop their crack cocaine use. Of those addicts, they discovered that the ones who used marijuana as a substitute were more likely to have a decreased rate of crack usage. They also found that cannabis was far more successful at helping addicts decrease their drug use than other substitutes.

This is actually in line with a study that came out of Brazil recently that showed that 68 percent of crack users were able to completely give up their addiction after they began using marijuana.

Granted, that study only involved 25 participants, but these two studies together indicate that marijuana can at least help reduce drug use by cocaine users.

But this research suggests a promising future in helping curb one of the deadliest drug addictions in North America.