Moderate Cannabis Use Improves Health for Opiates Dependency
According to clinical research at the Department of Psychiatry of Columbia University in New York moderate cannabis use improved retention in naltrexone treatment of patients suffering from dependency on opiates such as heroin.
63 opioid dependent patients, admitted for inpatient detoxification and induction onto oral naltrexone accompanied by six months of behavioural therapy were classified into three levels of cannabis use during treatment based on biweekly urine toxicology: abstinent (0 per cent cannabis positive urine samples); intermittent use (1 to 79 per cent cannabis positive samples); and consistent use (80 per cent or greater cannabis positive samples). Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist used primarily in the management of alcohol dependence and opioid dependence. Intermittent cannabis users showed superior retention in naltrexone treatment (median days retained = 133), compared to abstinent (median = 35 days) or regular users (median = 35 days).
Intermittent cannabis use was also associated with greater adherence to naltrexone pill-taking. Researchers noted that experimental studies are needed to directly test the hypothesis that cannabinoid receptor agonists exert a beneficial pharmacological effect on naltrexone maintenance and to understand the mechanism.
