The effects of cannabis oil on marijuana users and its potential for treating addiction will be the subject of a 12-week trial in regional Victoria.
Researchers with the Goulburn Valley Alcohol and Drug Service are looking for local volunteers to participate in the study, which will examine the possible benefits of cannabidiol, or CBD, which is a chemical found in the cannabis plant.
CBD can make people sleepy and affect the brain's electrical signals, but unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is also found in cannabis, it will not get people "high".
"It means that it's safe to drive and it doesn't interfere with the ability to operate machinery and that sort of thing," Shepparton-based professor and trial leader Edward Ogden said.
There is still research being undertaken into how CBD can be used medically, but it is thought to help with things like anxiety and chronic pain.
In the US, specific cannabis-derived medicine has been developed for the treatment of childhood epilepsy syndromes.
In 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) allowed for the sale of low-dose CBD preparations over the counter at Australian pharmacies.
But although products are common elsewhere, no product containing CBD has been approved by the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods so far.
Dr Ogden thought now was a good time to find out more about what CBD could do.
"We have a number of people approaching the Goulburn Valley service looking for help with cannabis use," he said.
'People use drugs for a reason'
Dr Ogden said marijuana used to contain about two or three per cent THC, but that had changed.
"The sort of material that's available now, particularly some of the genetically selected, hydroponically grown material, may have up to 20 or an even greater percentage of THC, so it's much more potent," he said.
This argument has been used by advocates for legalising marijuana, saying more regulation would allow people to know the strength of what they were using.
Dr Ogden said some people trying to cut down on marijuana have reported difficulty sleeping and changes in mood.
He hoped CBD oil could be used to help better manage those symptoms.
"People use drugs for a reason," Dr Ogden said.
"I mean, the drugs are doing something for them – at least when they start – and they may become physically or psychologically dependent on the substance, whatever it is.
"That's really the key to what one does in addiction medicine … to look at what the substance is doing for this person.
The trial into CBD oil is already underway, with about half the spots filled so far and a lot of interest for the remaining positions.
After an intake interview and testing, participants are sent capsules from a compounding pharmacy – either inert oil, a low dose of CBD or a high dose of CBD.
They then go into the service once a month to answer some questions.
