CANNABIS
MEDICAL
40 MEDICAL CANNABIS
sugar, caffeine and nicotine, which can lead to dependence. It can be a daunting thought for a pain patient, who never had issues with alcohol, to commit to never having a drink, at dinner, or going to a bar with friends ever again. Truth is that we have lives full of stress and the idea of having no way to relax and have fun is a huge deterrent to treatment for some. So cannabis, included into the long-term treatment of addiction, can offer longevity and success to dependent persons in sobriety.
Our discussion then moved to the hurdles in getting cannabis protocols implemented in current treatment programs. I have to admit that I was frustrated, but not at all surprised, to learn that this goes back to Richard Nixon, the development of the Controlled Substances Act and specifically the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972. This act prohibited the use of “Indian hemp and its derivatives” and therefore drew the line between illegal street drugs (marijuana, heroin, mescaline, cocaine, etc) and legal drugs (anything bought over the counter or prescribed by a doctor). Since that time, as treatment centers opened and created programs, the concept of legal drugs vs. street drugs became indoctrinated into their programs and belief system. So, when you are in a treatment center you will probably not be “allowed” to use alcohol (mostly because you are likely to be in the program with others dependent on to alcohol) but are ok to smoke cigarettes, consume caffeine and sugar. Not that any is more addictive than another but more that tobacco, caffeine and sugar are legal drugs and, say, cannabis is not. It will take more research, education and change in belief system before cannabis will be seen for its qualities and benefits before its prohibition in the Dangerous Drug Act.
At this point Amanda knows of only one “official," treatment program, using cannabis in its treatment plan and that is High Sobriety, in Southern California. She is an advisor, for High Sobriety, which “is a community that supports cannabis inclusive recovery and facilitates residents’ connection to various services that will assist the resident in their recovery process”. They support “a spectrum of recovery alternatives for individuals who have been previously unable to stop using alcohol and/or other drugs