Pubdate: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Nanaimo Daily News Contact: http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 Author: Darrell Bellaart Page: A4 Marijuana as a 'gateway drug' put into question by new study Vice-president of Tilray in Nanaimo challenges the idea in paper at symposium A medical study of Canadian cancer patients challenges the claim that marijuana is a so-called "gateway drug," says a Nanaimo man who was involved in the research. Phillippe Lucas returned last week from the annual symposium of the International Cannabinoid Research Society conference, where he presented the as-yet unpublished research paper. Lucas, who is the Tilray vice-president of patient research and services, has a doctorate from the University of Victoria and is a graduate researcher with the Centre for Addiction Research B.C. The pool of research from which his paper was drawn was looking into the use of cannabis as an alternative to narcotics and other strong pain relievers. The Tilray team's research presentation at ICRS focused on the self-reported substitution of cannabis by Canadian patients for prescription drugs, alcohol and illicit drugs. Lucas said the research suggests a preference for cannabinoids - the chemically active component of marijuana - helps dispel the "gateway drug" theory used by prohibitionists. The findings are derived from the Cannabis Access for Medical Purposes Study, based on self-reported drug use from 628 medical cannabis patients and is one of the world's largest surveys of medical cannabis patients to date. "Eighty-seven per cent of patients that took part in the survey used cannabis to substitute for one of three classes of drugs," Lucas said. They chose pot over alcohol, prescription pain killers and illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin. In the addiction treatment field, it's called the substitution effect. Examples are smokers who switch to the patch, or heroin addicts who go to methadone. "This substitution effect suggests cannabis can be an exit drug, and can be seen as a harm reduction tool," Lucas said. Lucas helps lead research at Tilray, a licensed producer of medical marijuana at Duke Point. The company has invested more than $20 million to create its state-of the art medical cannabis facility where its team cultivates more than 35 strains of medical and research-grade cannabis. The research was started three years ago, in partnership with Dr. Zach Walsh, before Tilray started operations this year. It was funded through a University of B.C. research grant. Key finding include: 86.6 per cent of patients said they'd substituted cannabis for at least one other substance - 80 per cent over prescription drugs, 52 per cent over alcohol, and 33 per cent over other illicit drugs. The main reasons patients gave for substitution included "better symptom management" and "less adverse side effects." While the research was conducted separately from Tilray, Lucas said the company is committed to funding ongoing research to help increase understanding of better medical cannabis treatment strategies and plant genetics. The company expects to announce a clinical trial for medical cannabis later this year. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt