“There’s no scientific reason to believe that somebody is better off being completely miserable
and sober than using cannabis occasionally, or even fairly regularly, as an adult and being functional and happy and productive,” said Dr. Reiman, an unpaid consultant with High Sobriety, who added, “Using cannabis is a relatively safe practice.”
The co-founder and main investor in High Sobriety, Michael Welch, is a recovering heroin addict who was helped by a traditional, 12-step program.
Dr. Mark Wallace, chairman of the division of pain medicine in the department of anesthesia at the University of California,
San Diego, said over the last five years he has used marijuana to help several hundred patients transition off opiates.
A report published in January from the National Academy of Sciences on the health effects of cannabis “found no evidence to support or refute the conclusion
that cannabinoids are an effective treatment for achieving abstinence in the use of addictive substances,” said Dr. Marie McCormick, a Harvard professor who was the chairwoman of the report committee.
“Like trying to cure alcoholism with Valium.”
The idea stems not only from the legalization of marijuana in several states, including California,
but also from a broader reckoning taking place in the traditional addiction treatment business: Substance-abuse treatment often fails, costing families, the government or insurers tens of thousands of dollars per therapy.
The new clinic is experimenting with a concept made possible by the growing legalization of marijuana:
that pot, rather than being a gateway into drugs, could be a gateway out.
A small but growing number of pain doctors and addiction specialists are overseeing
the use of marijuana as a substitute for more potent and dangerous drugs.
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