JnEverett

New cure for Cannabis
10-24-06 l The Daily Telegraph l Clare Masters

A NEW statewide cannabis program is successfully weaning addicts off the drug by using medication to block the effects, emerging results from the study show.

But more resources are needed to deal with the increasing problems, experts say, with national hospital data showing rates of cannabis psychosis have doubled in the past seven years.

Hospital admission figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show the figure for cannabis psychosis rose from 655 in 1998-99 to 1025 in 1999-2000 and 1227 in 2004-05.

There are four cannabis clinics in NSW, in Western Sydney, the Central Coast, Orange and Sutherland.

Preliminary evaluation data from one clinic shows 76 per cent of clients were either completely abstinent or using less than half the amount they previously used when followed up 12 months after treatment. Twenty-four per cent reported small reductions or usage similar to pre-treatment.

The clinics have assessed 1933 clients and treated 1279 people.

Centre for Drug and Alcohol NSW clinical adviser Robert Batey said more clinics would open in the next two years.

Dr Batey said the use of medications that acted to block the effect of the drug had been so successful the clinics were looking at using them more extensively. He said there were increasing numbers of people with cannabis problems due to the potency of the drug, now frequently grown with powerful chemicals.

"There are more worrying conditions of psychotic presentations – these are very real," he said.

Dr Batey said the heroin drought and the increased use of the drug ice had helped drive up marijuana use with people smoking to "come down".

"People are turning to other drugs more readily available now and, being more potent, and they are getting some sense they are getting good value for the dollar," he said

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia with recent research showing one in three Australians reporting use at least once in a lifetime and 11 per cent reporting recent use.