Is Marijuana an 'Exit Drug'?

[kpete]

Is Marijuana an 'Exit Drug'? Study Suggests Some Are Taking It as a Substitute for Prescription Drugs and Alcohol
A surprising three quarters of medical cannabis consumers say they subbed in pot for more harmful substances.
December 26, 2012 |

...................

Three quarters of medical cannabis consumers report using it as a substitute for prescription drugs, alcohol, or some other illicit substance, according to survey data published in the journal Addiction Research and Theory.

................

Researchers reported that subjects frequently substituted cannabis for other substances, including conventional pharmaceuticals. Authors reported:

“Over 41 percent state that they use cannabis as a substitute for alcohol (n=158), 36.1 percent use cannabis as a substitute for illicit substances (n=137), and 67.8 percent use cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs (n=259). The three main reasons cited for cannabis-related substitution are ‘less withdrawal’ (67.7 percent), ‘fewer side-effects’ (60.4 percent), and ‘better symptom management’ suggesting that many patients may have already identified cannabis as an effective and potentially safer adjunct or alternative to their prescription drug regimen.”

Overall, 75.5 percent (n=305) of respondents said that they substitute cannabis for at least one other substance. Men were more likely than women to report substituting cannabis for alcohol or illicit drugs.

MORE:
Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs: A dispensary-based survey of substitution effect in Canadian medical cannabis patients
Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/16066359.2012.733465

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/marijuana-exit-drug-study-suggests-some-are-taking-it-substitute-prescription-drugs-and

[mr_hat]

1. Depends what you're exiting, I guess.

That said, maybe it's the ramen noodles of highs.

[Scuba]

2. Excellent description of how many use marijuana.

Much milder effect than booze - even beer - and other drugs. Less impairment of judgement and motor skills compared to alcohol and other drugs.

Banning it is just stupid.

[theaocp]

4. It's not stupid at all.

There's an entire industry built around its prohibition. It's about the MONEY! Positive sides of it be damned. What the world needs, after all, is more drunks.

[Scuba]

6. Yes, only stupid if your motive is not greed.

[KittyWampus]

3. I briefly considered taking it up again when I was having sleep issues...

It can help people, I think. Though I'd love for society to be more explorative on things like diet and exercise and meditation as ways of dealing with health issues.

[War Horse]

5. It most certainly can be

Depends on the drug and the situation, of course. But yes, it can be. I've personally seen it help quite a few "drunks", even the odd speed freak.

[sofa king]

7. Let me tell you about my balls.

I had a nasty little thing called a testicular torsion, the solution to which is an operation called a double orchiopexy, which involves incisions in the scrotum followed by steel sutures to tack the testicles in place. The pain... oh, the pain. I sincerely hope you cannot imagine it.

The rainbow of hillbilly heroins failed entirely to make the aftermath of that operation tolerable. One gram of medical-grade reefer, however, passed to me by a concerned friend, made life tolerable for two weeks. It addressed the pain and the depression which can accompany severe pain. As a very, very interested person testing results of various painkillers on myself, I was paying close attention.

Prior to that experience, I used to quite literally laugh at my medical marijuana friends, telling them the medical angle was merely a front for the recreational use of the drug.

I have since apologized to all of those people. You all can believe what you want, but I know that dope kept me away from potentially addictive painkillers, and greatly assisted my recovery. If it can do that, then I have little doubt that it can also be used in replacement therapies as well, since that is effectively how I used it myself.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. It helped me quit drinking

so um, yeah.

[Gregorian]

9. I used it to break the nicotine habit.

[montanto]

10. I used weed to stop a bad alcohol habit.

[tridim]

11. It has almost completely eliminated my dog's seizure activity

She has had epilepsy her entire life. Seizure frequency is down by about 95% since her first accidental dose 5 years ago. It's a miracle as far as I'm concerned, anyone who has lived with an serious epileptic knows what I'm talking about.

I am now considering stopping her prescription meds that WILL eventually destroy her liver. Yep, it's an exit drug. It's also a smart choice because it's natural and has no bad side effects.

[Fozzledick]

12. A couple of my friends are social workers.

They've both told me that a number of their elderly clients who were alcoholics switched to marijuana and are in much better condition both physically and mentally as a result.