NEW CURE FOR CANNABIS

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.