Marijuana Assisted Treatment –
July 15, 2019 – A paper about the University of Sydney and NSW Health clinical trial provides the first strong evidence that so-called cannabinoid agonist medication — which targets receptors in the brain — could reduce the rate of relapse. The paper published today in the American Medical Association’s JAMA Internal Medicine. Lead author Conjoint Professor Nick Lintzeris — of the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health and Director of Drug & Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health District — said the study should give hope to people with dependency on cannabis, which is a leading cause of drug treatment episodes in Australia.*
“We’ve never had the evidence before that medication can be effective in treating cannabis dependency — this is the first big study to show this is a safe and effective approach,” Professor Lintzeris said. “The principles are very similar to nicotine replacement; you are providing patients with a medicine which is safer than the drug they’re already using, and linking this with medical and counselling support to help people address their illicit cannabis use.
