Canadian groups offer cannabis and edibles for free to combat opioid abuse

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Volunteer groups in Canada are offering relief to people struggling with addiction by donating cannabis and edible derivatives as a substitute for opioids. Addiction experts, however, fear that the unproven treatment may deter people with opioid use disorder from seeking evidence-based therapies that have proven to be effective.

In London, Ontario, volunteers from the Cannabis Substitution Program set up a table outside a church every Tuesday to distribute free cannabis and food packages to drug users. Group members claim that high doses of THC, up to 100 milligrams baked into an edible, can serve as a substitute for opioids and other dangerous drugs in treating withdrawal symptoms.

Since its launch in April, the program has been popular, with up to 200 people attending each week and forming a line that stretches down the block. Group members say the distributed cannabis is purchased and donated by individuals.

Stefan Nichol, outreach director at Impact Church and supporter of the substitution program, said that while cannabis is not a definitive treatment for opioid addiction and withdrawal, it can provide relief for those trying to break the cycle of drug use.

"To be honest, the herb will never cure the drug sickness," Nichol told CBC. "But it helps people sleep for a whole day."

Mary McCarty, a volunteer with the Cannabis Substitution Program, said the organizers began holding weekly events to help address the opioid epidemic in the city after learning about similar initiatives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"I thought, 'You know what? London needs one of these,'" McCarty said. "It's ridiculous what's happening."

In Halifax, volunteers from the East Coast Cannabis Substitution Program put together cannabis packages to be delivered to drug users every Monday. When CBC News visited the group at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, each package included a joint kit, a cannabis gummy, THC capsules, and edibles including chocolate, cookies, and a meatloaf slider.

Volunteer Chris Backer, who travels to the north end of the city every week to distribute the packages, believes the donations can help people steer clear of more dangerous drugs.

"It's breaking the cycle of addiction," he said last year. "It's been proven that cannabis has a lot of success and is a complement to trying to help overcome addiction."

Robust studies are still needed

Addiction experts, including Steven Laviolette, a professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, are skeptical about using cannabis for those struggling with opioid abuse.

"I'm not aware of any evidence suggesting it's effective as a substitute for opioid-related dependence and addiction," he said.

But Laviolette acknowledged that cannabis may be useful in treating some forms of addiction. He has conducted research on using CBD as a treatment for amphetamine addiction.

"We were able to show that it literally blocked the activation of these drugs in dopaminergic neurons, so the neurons would stop firing in the presence of CBD," he said. "This has very strong implications for CBD as an anti-addiction treatment."

Laviolette noted that researchers in the United States are also studying the potential of CBD as a treatment for opioid addiction. But he says THC may pose a risk for some people with addiction disorders.

"It's been shown that THC causes overactivation of the brain's addiction pathways," he said. "This could worsen things because THC would increase the brain's addiction pathways and could make issues like relapse and withdrawal an even bigger problem for people suffering from opioid dependence."

Dr. Samuel Hickcox, chief addiction medicine physician at Nova Scotia Health, said cannabis substitution programs lack "high-quality scientific evidence" to support their effectiveness. He fears that people may turn to cannabis instead of medications that are proven to be an effective treatment for opioid addiction.

"This really concerns me because we know that people with opioid addiction, if they're taking medications like Suboxone or methadone, their health will improve. They are much less likely to have fatal overdoses," he said. "If we take that away from people by offering an unproven alternative, we run the risk of actually causing more harm than good."

McCarty, however, says she has witnessed how the gifts of marijuana can positively impact those struggling with addiction.

"People come and thank us all the time," she said.