Month: January 2022

This month, Violaine and the team reveal the results of an exploratory study that looked at the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on cortisol (a biomarker of stress) and anxiety symptoms in people who use cocaine. 78 participants with moderate to severe cocaine use disorder participated in the study. They were randomly separated into two groups, receiving a large dose (800 mg) of CBD or a placebo daily for 92 days. The results showed that compared to placebo, CBD was unfortunately not effective in reducing anxiety and cortisol levels in people who use cocaine. You can read the article that will be published shortly in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

Only a few days left before the holiday season! On behalf of the entire research team of our laboratory, we would like to wish you and your loved ones, our best wishes for happiness, health and prosperity for the new year!

November is a very active month in our laboratory. Dr. Jutras-Aswad and colleagues will be presenting at the International Society of Addiction Medicine annual meeting the results of the OPTIMA study, a large scale national, multi-site, interventional study that evaluated the effectiveness of two models of care for the management of opioid-related disorders. The results of this study underscore the importance of flexibility in the treatment of opioid use disorders, which allows for greater accessibility to treatment and thus improved clinical management. At the same conference, but also at the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction conference and the Journées annuelles de la Santé Publique, Sarah and Elie will present the results of a cross-sectional study on the associations between cannabis source and vulnerability markers to cannabis-related harms. Overall people acquiring their cannabis from the Société Québecoise du Cannabis were more aware of the content of the products procured. In addition, people acquiring their cannabis from an illegal source were more likely to use cannabis frequently.