Cannabis To Treat Drug Addiction?

I have a personal success story treating my drug addiction to prescription pills.
 
I was wondering if anyone else has a success story treating drug addiction with cannabis?
 
(This thread is to discuss medical marijuana, not other drugs.)
 
Check out this article from the United Patients Group website:
 
 
Medical marijuana is frequently in the news, and hopefully the growing awareness of the benefits of medical marijuana will lead to more sensible regulations and deeper research into why cannabis is so helpful in treating so many different conditions. Among the conditions that medical marijuana can treat is addiction, whether to drugs or alcohol.
Marijuana as a recovery treatment is controversial, not least because there is conflicting research about whether medical marijuana is or is not addictive. However, many studies have found that medical marijuana is not addictive, or as harmful, as other drugs such as alcohol and opiates. Additionally, several studies have shown that marijuana can be an effective treatment for recovery from other substances.
Medical Marijuana as a Recovery Treatment
Since marijuana has earned an undeserved negative reputation in many quarters, it is often difficult to determine what is fact and what is politics when talking about medical marijuana. However, the following three studies pointed to definite possibilities of using cannabis to overcome dependence on more harmful drugs and alcoholism:

• A 2009 study performed by the Laboratory for Physiopathology of Diseases of the Central Nervous System found that injections of THC, the primary active chemical in cannabis, helped eliminate dependence on opiates such as morphine and heroin in test animals.

• A survey compiling self-reported addiction treatment and relapse rates among substance users, “Cannabis as a Substitute for Alcohol and Other Drugs” that was published in the Harm Reduction Journal, found that respondents used cannabis to curb their alcohol cravings, as an alternative to previous use of prescription drugs, and even as a substitute for more potent drugs such as cocaine. Tellingly, 57.4% of respondents chose to use cannabis because it provided better symptom management as well.

• Another study published in the Harm Reduction Journal, “Long term cannabis users seeking medical cannabis in California,” found that medical cannabis users were much less likely to use more potent drugs, and even reported less tobacco use than non-cannabis users.

Why Use Marijuana as a Recovery Treatment?
It's clear that more effective addiction recovery treatment is needed in our country. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, depending on the addiction, up to half of individuals who begin an addiction treatment program relapse within six months. As more states move to legalize medical marijuana, it is becoming easier for scientists, doctors, and researchers to point to the benefits of marijuana as a treatment for pain relief and symptom management for many diseases. Benefits now known to the scientific community include:

• Medical marijuana patients are able to function more fully in daily activities and work, unlike with many prescription opiates for symptom relief.

• Medical marijuana patients report fewer unpleasant side effects with marijuana than with many traditional and stronger drug treatments.

• Medical marijuana patients achieve more effective symptom relief using marijuana than with other alternatives.

Since withdrawal from alcohol and serious drug use often prompts the same symptoms as other medical conditions that marijuana is used to treat (anxiety, depression, pain, nausea, and sleeplessness,) it is logical that responsible use of marijuana could also help with addiction recovery.

 

 
When I lived with my parents they were extremely anti marijuana. They knew that I was becoming addicted to the pills. I told them how I treated myself to break the addiction, now they are very pro legalization.
 
I feel like if these studies got more exposure, a ton of people would change their minds about cannabis..

 

[quote name="Sammyy" post="18877648" timestamp="1382650007"]Ive been doing this for years. It works for some, but only some and not all and its important people know that. For some people cannabis can bring you back to your DOC..so people should tread carefully..[/quote]That is why I said treat not cure. Every addict needs a different treatment regimen, cannabis can just be an optional step of this regimen if the doctor/psychiatrist believes it is a viable option for said patient. Take me for example, I would have been a great candidate for cannabis to be a step of my regimen because it did work. I am now disgusted by my old DOC, and a strong advocate to stop prescribing this drug to just anyone that claims to have ADHD.