(Press-News.org)
A 20-year Australian study has found no evidence to suggest cannabis reduces illicit opioid use, and it may not be an effective long-term method of reducing harm for those with an opioid use disorder or problematic use of opioids.
Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the University of Sydney led study is one of the longest of its kind.
Between 2001 to 2022, the study involved a group of 615 people with heroin dependence, many of whom also used cannabis.
Additional analysis also found no consistent evidence between cannabis and other opioid use, including opioids that were prescribed.
Opioid use is currently responsible for more death and disability than any other illicit drug. Opioid and cannabis use disorders make up approximately 77 percent of all illicit drug disorders.
The researchers say clinicians and policymakers should be cautious about relying on cannabis to reduce problematic opioid use or as a potential strategy to help manage the opioid crisis, especially given a global shift towards cannabis legalisation and recognition as a therapeutic product.
In the United States, some states have policies that allow patients to substitute their prescribed opioids with cannabis.
The Canadian Government is currently reviewing the Cannabis Act in the context of medicinal cannabis for opioid dependence.
To examine the impact of cannabis on opioid use, and vice versa, researchers used a recently developed statistical technique. This allowed them to account for influential factors on opioid and cannabis use in the data such as age and made it possible to focus on individual changes in substance use over time.
“Our investigation shows that cannabis use remains common among this population, but it may not be an effective long term strategy for reducing opioid use ,” says lead author Dr Jack Wilson, from The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, at the University of Sydney.
“There are claims that cannabis may help decrease opioid use or help people with opioid use disorders keep up with treatment.
“But it’s crucial to note those studies examine short- term impact, and focus on treatment of chronic pain and pain management, rather than levels of opioid use in other contexts.”
Another key finding was cannabis use is common among those with an opioid use disorder, and so there needs to be clinical services that offer additional support for people who would like to reduce cannabis use.
“Opioid use disorders are complex and unlikely to be resolved by a single treatment,” says Dr Wilson.
“The best way to support them is evidence-based holistic approaches that look at the bigger picture, and include physical, psychological, and pharmacotherapy therapies.”
-ENDS-
END
WASHINGTON – Debunking, “prebunking,” nudging and teaching digital literacy are several of the more effective ways to counter misinformation, according to a new report from the American Psychological Association.
Written by a panel of U.S. and international experts on the psychology of misinformation, the report outlines the processes that make people susceptible to misinformation and offers solutions to combat it.
People are more likely to believe misinformation if it comes from groups they belong to or if they judge the source as credible, according to the report “Using Psychological Science to Understand and Fight Health Misinformation: An ...
Smartphones have altered human behavior in complex ways but context can also alter smartphone use. Laura Alessandretti and colleagues analyzed a dataset of 464,455 smartphone users from around the world, with 324,391 users categorized as urban and 52,290 categorized as rural. In most countries, urban users spent more time on their phones, using them for an average of 174.9 minutes a day, compared to 152.2 minutes for rural users. Urban users were more likely than rural users to spend time on apps categorized as maps and navigation (+150.0%), news (+38.7%), travel and local (+28.7%), music (+20.0%), business (+19.3%), and productivity (+13.7%) while rural users were more likely that urban users ...
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to reshape the workforce, with almost half of Australian workers willing to sacrifice part of their annual salary to work from home.
New research by the University of South Australia has found that 45% of workers would be willing to accept a pay cut in exchange for remote work flexibility.
A survey of more than 1100 Australian workers in 2020-21 found that the average worker, who can carry out their role effectively at home, is willing to give up $3000 to $6000 in annual wages (4 to 8% of their salary). One fifth of participants would be willing to sacrifice $12 to $24,000 annually (16 to 33% of salaries).
However, ...
Blue light-emitting diodes represent a fundamental element in the contemporary lighting and display technology landscape. Like prevailing technology such as III-V, organics and quantum dot LEDs, developing efficient and stable blue perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) is a formidable challenge. Over the past few years, the research community has experienced a remarkable upsurge in the external quantum yields of blue PeLEDs, bringing them closer to the level of more mature technologies. Nevertheless, these blue PeLEDs continue to ...
The more time pre-schoolers spent in childcare during the first year of the pandemic, the more their vocabulary grew, a new study has found.
Research led by the University of Leeds found that attending Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) during the Covid-19 outbreak had sustained benefits for youngsters’ development.
Academics investigating the ongoing impact of Covid-related closures found that for each day of the week spent in ECEC, toddlers could produce an average of 29 more new words over the first year of the pandemic and ...
A research group led by Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Engineering has uncovered how rapid tendon regeneration occurs in newts. The research, published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, compared the regeneration mechanism of damaged tendons in newts with those in mice. In the future, their findings could help physicians to treat human athletes recovering from tendon injuries.
Tendon injuries are a serious obstacle for athletes, who currently require several months ...
A University of Alaska Fairbanks–led research team has been awarded a $1.9 million federal grant to explore whether seaweeds are absorbing rare-earth elements near a rich deposit in Southeast Alaska.
The study will focus on seaweeds in the waters near Bokan Mountain, a remote landmark on Prince of Wales Island known to contain rare-earth elements. Starting in March 2024, researchers will collect and analyze seaweed samples to determine whether significant amounts of metals that have washed into the ocean are being absorbed.
“We want to see if seaweeds accumulate ...
Study by Brigham investigators revealed how genetic changes in certain types of brain cells may contribute to the inflammatory response seen in Alzheimer’s disease
Immune-regulating brain cells known as microglia are known to play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A new study by investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, explores how the genetics of microglia contribute to neuroinflammation and, in turn, AD. The team revealed that a reduction ...
A world-first report examining alternative ways for victim-survivors to report sexual assault says under-reporting could be reduced if moved away from law enforcement, but it will need greater support and funding to be sustainable and secure.
Only 13% of women report sexual assaults to police and 50% of victim-survivors seek help from a counselling or specialist support service, but alternative reporting options could help increase these numbers.
The research by RMIT University, University of Wollongong and La Trobe University found a trauma-informed, written interview designed in line with best-practice techniques could ...
First author Cullen Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D., passed away suddenly before the final publication of this study. A talented physician-scientist motivated by the impact of cancer on his own family, Taniguchi was committed to improving treatment options and outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal cancers as well as mentoring aspiring physicians and scientists.
“Dr. Taniguchi was a pioneer, committed to not accepting the low rates of survival in pancreatic cancer and transcending boundaries to improve outcomes,” said senior author Sarah Hoffe, M.D., of Moffitt ...
