A cannabis science professor will be researching cannabis in opioid overdose treatment.
The province announced Friday the first of its kind professorship at UBC that Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy says will lead research and clinical trials on how cannabis products can be used to address the overdose crisis that is taking three to four lives a day.
Dr. M-J Milloy is a research scientist at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) whose recent research has found that found daily cannabis use increased likelihood that people will stay in opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and that intentional cannabis use resulted in preceded declines in crack use among crack cocaine users.
“The therapeutic benefits of cannabis are only just beginning to be understood,” Dr. Milloy said in a news release.
“Early research has shown that it could have a stabilizing impact for people with opioid-use disorder, improving their quality of life and offering a pathway to long-term treatment solutions. In the midst of an overdose crisis, we have a scientific imperative to build upon this research.”
The Province is investing $500,000 to the BCCSU with Canopy Growth contributing $2.5 million to establish the professorship and create an enduring legacy of research through the Canopy Growth Cannabis Science Endowment Fund.