All of the authors are with the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Am J Public Health. 2021 May;111(5):969-972. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306168. Epub 2021 Mar 18.
To characterize the prevalence and reasons for the use of cannabis as a strategy to reduce the harms arising from other substances. We drew data about recent cannabis use and intentions from 3 prospective cohort studies of marginalized people who use drugs based in Vancouver, Canada, from June 2016 to May 2018. The primary outcome was "use of cannabis for harm reduction," defined as using cannabis for substitution for licit or illicit substances such as heroin or other opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, or alcohol; treating withdrawal; or coming down off other drugs. Approximately 1 in 4 participants reported using cannabis for harm reduction at least once during the study period. The most frequent reasons included substituting for stimulants (50%) and substituting for illicit opioids (31%). The use of cannabis for harm reduction is a common strategy among people who use drugs in our setting. Further research into the factors associated with this strategy is needed. Better characterization of the risks and benefits of substitution strategies, including for opioids and stimulants, may prompt new treatment options for PWUD.
为了描述大麻作为一种减少其他物质所带来危害的策略的流行程度和原因，我们从 2016 年 6 月至 2018 年 5 月在加拿大温哥华进行的 3 项针对边缘吸毒人群的前瞻性队列研究中提取了有关近期大麻使用和意图的数据。主要结果是“使用大麻进行危害减少”，定义为使用大麻替代合法或非法物质，如海洛因或其他阿片类药物、可卡因、冰毒或酒精；治疗戒断；或减少其他药物的使用。大约四分之一的参与者报告在研究期间至少有一次使用大麻进行危害减少。最常见的原因包括替代兴奋剂（50%）和替代非法阿片类药物（31%）。在我们的研究环境中，大麻作为一种危害减少策略在吸毒者中很常见。需要进一步研究与这种策略相关的因素。更好地描述替代策略的风险和益处，包括阿片类药物和兴奋剂，可能会为吸毒者提供新的治疗选择。
